Yu Xiaogang stood off to the side. His usually immaculate Grandmaster hairstyle was now as messy as a bird's nest.
He braced himself against the ground with both hands, panting heavily. His cloudy eyes were still filled with lingering shock.
"Mubai, stop talking."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the towering Godwind City in the distance, his voice trembling slightly.
"Let's pull back."
"We'll talk once we're back at camp."
He might have been stubborn, but he wasn't stupid.
Their opponent hadn't even revealed his Martial Soul, yet had tossed them out like garbage. The gap between them was simply beyond reason.
Dai Mubai slammed his fist into the ground. His frustration was about to explode, but he knew that going back now would be tantamount to walking to his death.
"Let's go!"
He gritted his teeth and, supported by his guards, limped toward the Heaven Dou Army's encampment.
The two of them left in disgrace, like beaten dogs, leading the remnants of their troops away.
Not long after these two "important figures" slunk away.
High above, the Sky Curtain Golden Ranking, which had fallen silent, changed once more.
Rumble—
A muffled roll of thunder swept across the sky. The blue-gold light gradually faded, replaced by a deep, dusky purple.
The purple hue wasn't evil, but carried an air of antiquity and mystery.
Lines of burnished golden text slowly unfurled among the clouds.
[Godwind City has claimed the top spot on the Power Ranking. The continent's balance of power is now set.]
[Yet between heaven and earth, countless rare treasures exist. Divine weapons, precious materials, and wondrous herbs all possess a spirit of their own.]
[Today, the second ranking begins—the Rare Treasure Ranking!]
[The holders of every rare treasure on the ranking will receive a blessing from the Heavenly Dao!]
At the sight of these lines, the entire Douluo Continent erupted once more.
The people, who had still been reeling from the shock of Godwind City's rise, instantly shifted their attention.
The Rare Treasure Ranking?
Now those were bona fide treasures!
If they could get their hands on a rare treasure that made the list, wouldn't they rise straight to the heavens?
Countless Soul Masters tilted their heads back, gazing up at the Sky Curtain with burning eyes as they waited for the first name to appear.
They didn't have to wait long.
The dark purple clouds churned and surged, condensing into the phantom image of a gigantic weapon.
It was a scythe.
Pitch-black from end to end, it radiated a dense purple haze.
Countless tormented souls wailed along its blade, while a snarling skull was set into its hilt, as if ready to devour anyone who came near.
Even as a mere phantom, its overwhelming aura of evil and icy malice sent chills down the spines of countless low-level Soul Masters.
[Rank 10 on the Rare Treasure Ranking: Rakshasa Demon Scythe!]
[Type: Super Divine Artifact (Pseudo)]
[Holder: Bibi Dong, Pope of the Spirit Hall Empire!]
As soon as its name was announced, a detailed introduction appeared.
[A divine weapon exclusive to the Rakshasa God, possessing the ultimate power of poison and malice.]
[Property One: Devour. It can devour the flesh and souls of living beings, nourishing its holder in return.]
[Property Two: Spatial Rend. It can easily tear through space and create spatial turbulence.]
[Property Three: Curse of Resentment. Wounds inflicted by the scythe cannot heal, and the victim's soul will suffer the torment of being devoured by ten thousand ghosts.]
The long list of hair-raising properties made the powerful figures of the continent's various factions draw sharp breaths.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi stood before the main hall, staring at the Demon Scythe in the sky as his grip tightened unconsciously around his scepter.
"The Rakshasa Demon Scythe..."
"So this is Bibi Dong's weapon?"
His brows knitted together, his expression grave.
Its radiance was so intense that even through the Sky Curtain, he could sense its nauseating stench of blood.
"And it's only ranked tenth?"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood nearby, his gaze as sharp as a sword as he fixed it on the scythe.
"Just looking at such a vicious weapon is enough to unsettle the mind."
"If we truly faced it, I fear even my Seven Kill Sword would be suppressed."
"A divine weapon this terrifying, and it's only in tenth place?"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Then what sort of things occupy the top spots on the Heaven Ranking?"
"Could this Sky Curtain be playing a joke on us?"
The Clear Sky Sect, hidden from the world.
Tang Xiao watched the Sky Curtain in silence.
As the Clear Sky Sect's leader, he had absolute confidence in weapon-type Martial Souls.
But gazing at the Rakshasa Demon Scythe now, he had to admit that in terms of pure destructive power, the Clear Sky Hammer might well fall short of this divine weapon.
"Bibi Dong... Spirit Hall has kept its strength hidden far too well."
"If this scythe appeared on the battlefield, who could stop it?"
The Spirit Hall Empire, Pope Palace.
Unlike the shock and fear beyond its walls, the atmosphere here felt strangely off.
Bibi Dong stood atop the dais, clad in her brilliant golden papal robes, which hugged her breathtakingly perfect figure.
Her long, snow-white legs showed faintly beneath her skirt, exuding the ultimate allure of a mature woman.
But there wasn't a trace of joy on her stunning face.
Only shock and indignation.
"Tenth?"
Bibi Dong reached out. Purple light surged in her palm, and the true Rakshasa Demon Scythe slowly took shape.
Its icy touch was the power of a god, far beyond the mortal realm.
"This is a god's weapon!"
"It's the Rakshasa God's divine inheritance weapon!"
"And it's only ranked a mere tenth?!"
Two flames of fury burned in Bibi Dong's stern phoenix eyes.
How much had she sacrificed to wield this divine weapon?
She had even devoured Qian Xunji, turning herself into something neither human nor ghost, just to gain this power.
In her eyes, the Rakshasa Demon Scythe should have ranked near the top—perhaps even in the top three.
"Sky Curtain... are you humiliating me?"
Bibi Dong's fingers tightened around the scythe until her knuckles turned white. The space around her warped faintly with her rage.
Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo knelt below, trembling and not daring to lift their heads.
The Pope's wrath was more than they could bear.
"Impossible... absolutely impossible."
"Other than the Angel Holy Sword in Qian Daoliu's hands, what weapon in this world could possibly surpass mine?"
Bibi Dong's chest heaved. Doubt and indignation surged wildly within her.
She refused to accept it!
Godwind City.
With the Heaven Dou Army gone, the cheers in the city gradually died down.
Venti wasn't staring blankly at the Sky Curtain like everyone else.
He clapped his hands, turned to the still-excited teachers and students of Godwind Academy, and waved them down.
"All right, all right. No more staring."
"The show's over. Get back to what you were doing."
"Shui Yue'er, take some people to the city gate and tidy up the stalls that got scattered by the wind just now."
"And check whether any civilians were hurt. We're civilized here in Godwind City. We can't let the people suffer."
Venti sounded like a fussy old mother, tossing out one instruction after another.
The students, who had been swept up in their fervor over their "invincible city lord," felt even closer to him at these down-to-earth words.
This was their city lord.
Even after suppressing a Titled Douluo, even after being named the strongest on the continent, what he cared about were still these trivial little things.