Sun Moon Continent.
Deep within the imperial palace of the Blue Silver Empire.
The grand palace, paved entirely with white jade, was so quiet that even a pin could be heard dropping.
As far as the eye could see, the vast imperial palace had become an ocean of Blue Silver Grass.
At that very moment, countless blades of grass bowed slightly toward the center of the palace, their stems bent low.
On the white jade steps at the very center of the hall, a young man sat cross-legged.
His features were breathtakingly handsome, as if the heavens had poured endless care into carving him into an immortal deity.
He was none other than the ruler of this continent, Tang Xiao, founding emperor of the Blue Silver Empire.
Just a few years ago, this continent had still been known as the Sun Moon Continent, divided among the Sun Moon Empire and numerous powerful Soul Engineer factions.
That lasted until Tang Xiao arrived.
With his own strength, he commanded Blue Silver Grass as far as the eye could see and swept across the entire continent, crushing every force that dared resist.
The once-mighty Sun Moon Empire fell before his power. In the end, atop its ruins, he built the Blue Silver Empire, now stronger than any before it.
"By my reckoning, Tang San and Xue'er should have both become gods by now."
"The battle at Jialing Pass on Douluo Continent must have begun. It's about time I set out for Douluo Continent, too."
Tang Xiao silently ran through the timing in his mind.
Then a notification sounded deep within his mind.
[Congratulations, host. Your secluded cultivation has come to a successful end.] [Reward acquired: one million years of cultivation.] [Physique acquired: Blue Silver Supreme Body.]
Boom!
As the system's voice fell silent, a terrifying aura burst from Tang Xiao.
His level of existence began to ascend wildly.
The profound power of the Blue Silver Supreme Body surged through his limbs and bones, tempering them until his flesh and bones gleamed like dark gold.
Under the impact of a million years of cultivation, the bottleneck before him tore apart like a sheet of paper.
God King.
In that instant, his cultivation broke through to the God King realm.
Tang Xiao slowly closed his eyes. His powerful divine sense pierced through the barriers between planes, allowing him to sense the Divine Realm with perfect clarity.
In his eyes, even the Five Great God Kings who stood high above the Divine Realm seemed unremarkable.
He let out a long breath, and his world-destroying aura immediately receded. Once more, he looked relaxed and mild.
Just as Tang Xiao was about to rise and stretch his limbs,
a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky, which had been clear moments before.
In an instant, the entire firmament turned dark gold.
A vast Sky Screen slowly unfurled across the horizon, stretching over the azure sky above the entire continent.
Divine patterns crisscrossed its surface, radiating the boundless might of the Heavenly Dao.
Then row upon row of enormous golden characters appeared across the Sky Screen.
[The Gold Ranking has opened.] [The first ranking will now be announced.] [World Power Ranking. Revealing the ranks of the powers across the world!]
Tang Xiao raised an eyebrow and gazed in puzzlement at the golden Sky Screen overhead.
"World Power Ranking?"
"That's something new."
He muttered to himself, still perfectly at ease.
The golden characters on the Sky Screen shifted again, revealing the rules to everyone.
[Anyone who makes the ranking will receive a reward from the Heavenly Dao. The higher the rank, the more generous the reward.]
As he looked up at the Gold Ranking hanging high in the sky, Tang Xiao's thoughts drifted back several decades.
He had once been a transmigrator.
Back then, he had crossed over to Douluo Continent and become the son of the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin—in other words, Tang Hao's son.
However, because he had been born a Soul Beast, he had never fully taken human form.
When Tang Hao discovered that his eldest son was a Soul Beast, that cold-hearted man had not hesitated to abandon him in the wilderness while he was still swaddled.
To be abandoned by his own kin the moment he was born was a devastating blow.
Fortunately, he had awakened a secluded cultivation system.
The system was simple.
As long as he chose to cultivate in seclusion, he could continuously earn all kinds of rewards.
The longer he stayed in seclusion, the greater the cultivation he would receive.
With the system's help, Tang Xiao had spent most of the past decades in seclusion.
In just a few short decades, he had accumulated an astonishing amount of cultivation.
His strength had long since reached a terrifying level unprecedented on Douluo Continent.
And now, after fusing with the million years of cultivation the system had just awarded him, he had finally broken through to God King.
With such reserves, none across the entire world could compare.
Just as Tang Xiao was lost in his memories, a respectful announcement came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, Zhong Lingyue requests an audience."
Tang Xiao gathered his thoughts and answered mildly:
"Come in."
The white jade doors of the hall slowly opened.
A graceful figure stepped inside with light, delicate steps.
She wore a fitted dark-gold phoenix robe that accentuated her flawless curves to perfection.
Her long, shapely legs appeared and vanished beneath the hem of her skirt, impossible to look away from.
She was widely hailed as the most beautiful woman on the Sun Moon Continent—and she was also its last empress, Zhong Lingyue.
Once, she had wielded the old imperial authority of the Sun Moon Empire and stood as a figure of supreme nobility.
When the Blue Silver Empire's army had marched upon her lands, she had led her nation's forces in a fierce resistance.
But after witnessing Tang Xiao's world-altering power, she had been won over.
In the end, this proud empress had willingly cast aside her imperial crown, asking only to remain by Tang Xiao's side and serve him.
Zhong Lingyue reached the center of the hall and slowly sank to her knees.
"This concubine congratulates Your Majesty on your great advance in cultivation."
Zhong Lingyue's voice was soft and alluring as it echoed through the hall.
Tang Xiao looked at the peerless beauty kneeling below and spoke slowly:
"What is it?"
Zhong Lingyue folded her hands before her and respectfully delivered her report:
"Your Majesty, the last remaining resistance has formally submitted its surrender to the Blue Silver Empire this morning."
"From this day forth, the entire Sun Moon Continent is under the control of the Blue Silver Empire."
As she spoke, a flash of barely concealed pride appeared in her eyes.
This was the man she had devoted herself to serving: a man who had accomplished an unprecedented feat through his own strength.
After hearing Zhong Lingyue's report, Tang Xiao fell silent for a moment.
His gaze drifted toward the distant view beyond the hall, his thoughts churning.
He recalled the dangers and obstacles he had faced when he first set foot on the Sun Moon Continent.
The Soul Guidance Technology here and its powerful Soul Engineer legions had once caused him trouble.
Now, this vast continent was in his hands.
Yet, even though he was all but invincible now, he still remembered the day Tang Hao had coldly abandoned him.
The things he had experienced over the years had opened his eyes to many truths.
That Clear Sky Douluo, whose name had shaken Douluo Continent, was nothing like the righteous and great man portrayed in the original story.
In Tang Xiao's eyes, Tang Hao was just a liar who had coveted his mother's Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, and deliberately set out to win her trust.
If Tang Hao hadn't deliberately manipulated and led her astray, how could Ah Yin, a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, have been driven step by step into a desperate corner by Spirit Hall, until she had no choice but to sacrifice herself?
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