A Divine Artifact, the Evil God Crown!

Di Tian raised a dragon claw, and black Soul Power gathered into a massive barrier.

The Light of Time and Space pierced the barrier.

Di Tian's movements froze.

Light engulfed his body, and fine cracks appeared across his scales.

The next moment—

An even more terrifying light burst from the Evil Emperor's single eye.

[The Evil Emperor's innate ability: Light of Destruction.]

[Mental power fused with destructive force, capable of destroying an enemy's body and Spiritual Origin.]

A violet-black beam pierced heaven and earth.

Di Tian let out a long roar.

He tore free of the power of time and space. His wings spread, and black dragon breath surged like a river to meet the Light of Destruction.

The two forces collided in midair.

The entire Star Dou Great Forest trembled.

Vast stretches of forest became scorched earth.

Lake water evaporated.

Di Tian's dragon scales shattered one after another, and the Light of Destruction pierced his body.

Blood streamed from the wound.

Yet he did not fall.

Di Tian swung his dragon claw.

A huge claw-shaped shadow crushed the violet light and slammed into the Evil Emperor.

Every one of the Evil Emperor's mental barriers shattered.

Several cracks appeared around his single eye.

The violet light rapidly dimmed.

The image held on the two figures.

Di Tian's enormous body loomed, his draconic might bearing down on heaven and earth.

The Evil Emperor hovered in midair, his mental power still filling the surroundings.

Words slowly appeared on the Golden Ranking.

[The Evil Emperor possesses a powerful Mental Attribute.]

[He possesses mental control, Light of Time and Space, Light of Destruction, and other abilities.]

[Ordinary Soul Masters can hardly withstand his mental attacks.]

[He also has the strength to confront top-tier opponents head-on.]

The barrage of comments erupted.

"The Evil Emperor really is strong!"

"At lower levels, the Mental Attribute can overwhelm almost anything!"

"Even against a top-tier Soul Beast like that, the Evil Emperor fought this well."

"Light of Time and Space and Light of Destruction—those abilities are terrifying!"

"His mental attacks can lock down consciousness, and he has a devastating finishing move for a direct fight."

"The Evil Emperor deserves eighth place on the Golden Ranking!"

"Is the Evil Emperor already invincible beneath the gods?"

Skywater Academy.

Before the True Dragon Tower.

Long Yao looked up at the sky.

Shui Bing'er and the others stood behind him, their eyes fixed on the Evil Emperor.

The Evil Emperor in the image was powerful indeed.

His mental power could affect living beings across a vast area.

Light of Time and Space and Light of Destruction were tremendously destructive as well.

After watching for a while, Long Yao looked away.

"Without the power of a god behind them, the Evil Emperor should rank second among Soul Beasts beneath the gods."

Shui Yuerou's heart jolted.

She looked at Long Yao.

"Dean, the Evil Emperor is already this strong, yet he still isn't a match for you?"

Long Yao remained calm.

"He has a long way to go."

"But after receiving the Golden Ranking's rewards, his strength will rise further."

He looked toward the Golden Ranking.

"And once he grows stronger, he'll be even more convinced he can reach a higher level."

Shui Yuerou nodded slightly.

Long Yao offered no further explanation.

Just then—

Footsteps sounded in the distance.

Shui Bing'er turned around.

A group was entering the city where Skywater Academy stood.

Yu Xiaogang led the way.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others followed behind him.

The members of Shrek Academy looked up at the sky.

Shock filled Tang San's eyes.

"Teacher, do you know about the Evil Emperor?"

Dai Mubai also turned to Yu Xiaogang.

"You must know about such a powerful Soul Beast, right, Teacher?"

Ma Hongjun quickly said, "Grandmaster is so knowledgeable. He must know the Evil Emperor's origins."

Yu Xiaogang's expression gradually changed.

He stared at the enormous single eye in the sky.

A Soul Beast with a Mental Attribute.

Seven hundred and eighty thousand years of cultivation.

Lord of the Evil Demon Forest.

He had never heard any of it.

But everyone was looking at him.

Yu Xiaogang could only raise his head and struggle to keep his expression steady.

"The Evil Emperor's existence is beyond what ordinary Soul Masters can comprehend."

"..."

Respect showed on Tang San's face.

"Teacher, you knew after all."

Yu Xiaogang's face flushed crimson.

He had no idea.

But if he admitted his ignorance now, his reputation as the so-called Grandmaster would suffer another blow.

"Soul Beasts with a Mental Attribute are rare to begin with, and the Evil Emperor lives hidden beyond the continent."

"It's only natural that you haven't heard of him."

Yu Xiaogang felt a little better after saying that.

But the Golden Ranking insisted on displaying more of the Evil Emperor's abilities.

Light of Time and Space.

Light of Destruction.

Mental control.

Every new detail made Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffer.

That damned Golden Ranking.

It had made me lose face in front of everyone.

Still, remembering that they were headed to Skywater Academy restored Yu Xiaogang's spirits.

Once they entered Skywater Academy, he could still prove his worth through his status as Grandmaster and his theories.

Yu Xiaogang glanced toward the academy in the distance.

"Let's go."

"To Skywater Academy."

"Train there for a while, and all of you can grow stronger."

The Shrek group immediately followed.

Inside Skywater Academy.

Long Yao looked toward the distant city gate.

He had already sensed the Shrek group's auras.

Then Long Yao looked back at the sky.

"The rewards should be announced next."

The Evil Demon Forest.

The Evil Emperor hovered among the mountains.

He watched himself on the Golden Ranking, his mental power surging ceaselessly over the forest.

Seven hundred and eighty thousand years of cultivation.

A powerful Spiritual Origin.

The ability to fight Di Tian head-on.

The Evil Emperor was not entirely pleased with his ranking.

The Heavenly Dao's rewards were all he cared about.

"My reward will be anything but ordinary."

The Evil Emperor looked up at the sky.

The next moment—

Golden light illuminated heaven and earth.

The Evil Emperor's name appeared on the Golden Ranking once more.

A vast will resounded across both continents.

[Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking, eighth place: Evil-Eyed Tyrant Ruler, the Evil Emperor.]

[Reward: 200,000 years added to cultivation.]

[Reward: Evil Eye Tyrant Bloodline evolution.]

[Reward: Divine artifact, the Evil God Crown.]

Three spheres of golden light slowly formed.

Violet-black light swirled within the first sphere.

Immense energy spread from it.

Within the second sphere, a drop of deep violet blood slowly appeared.

Unusual patterns flowed across the blood's surface.

The third sphere shone brightest of all.

A violet-black crown floated deep within its light.

A deep violet gemstone was set at the crown's center.

Endless mental power seemed sealed inside the gem.

Discussion across the sky exploded at once.

"Two hundred thousand years of cultivation?"

"A direct cultivation reward? That's absurd!"

"The Evil Emperor already had seven hundred and eighty thousand years. Add another two hundred thousand, and won't he be close to a million?"

"And his bloodline is evolving!"

"That last divine artifact looks like one with a Mental Attribute!"

"The Evil God Crown—just the name sounds extraordinary!"

"The Golden Ranking's rewards are terrifying!"

The Star Dou Great Forest.

Di Tian looked up at the sky, his expression growing grave.

The Evil Emperor had already been difficult to deal with at seven hundred and eighty thousand years of cultivation.

Now, with another two hundred thousand years added, the Evil Emperor's strength was certain to soar.