"My grandson is ninth!"
Xuan Tugu's expression turned utterly grim.
The Azure Dragon clansmen found it even harder to believe, blinking desperately as they tried to convince themselves this was not real!
The ministers who had been about to offer congratulations stood like dumbstruck geese, forcibly swallowing their congratulatory words and exchanging awkward looks.
"How could this be?
"I'm the strongest genius!
"If I'm only ninth, then what sort of people could eighth, seventh, or even first be?!"
Qu Jiangxuan instantly went pale and staggered half a step as though struck by lightning, his fingers clenched white.
Jealousy crept into his eyes. He stared fixedly at the golden Heavenly Ranking spanning the Milky Way, bloodshot cracks spreading through his eyes!
He refused to accept it.
He would keep watching.
He would see just who else could stand above him!
Dong-
A bell rang, and the Heavenly Ranking announced its reward.
[Ninth-place reward] Ancestral Dragon Great Dao Bone
Hiss...
The moment they saw the reward, everyone was deeply shaken.
The Ancestral Dragon Great Dao Bone!
In every era, every peerless powerhouse had their own "Dao," such as Sword Dao, Devil Dao, or Slaughter Dao.
Once a "Dao" was cultivated to the pinnacle, it could be sublimated into a "Great Dao." Not only could its wielder sweep across their era unhindered, but they could also pass it down to their descendants, granting them world-shaking power to forge new glory!
And this reward was the Great Dao of the dragon race's progenitor!
Once fully refined, its power would surely surpass imagination. There was even a sixty-percent chance of evolving into an Ancestral Dragon!
Xuan Tugu's gloomy expression eased somewhat. Though the ranking was low, this reward was so precious that even she could barely contain herself!
But at the thought that higher rankings meant even more earth-shattering rewards, jealousy crawled back onto her twisted old face.
Dong!
The bell rang again.
The next higher rank was announced!
[Eighth place] Name: Lu Xiuluo Physique: Buddha-Devil Tyrant Physique Evaluation: A devil god's furious glare, a bodhisattva's lowered gaze; Buddha and devil as one, ruling the heavens!
"Lu Xiuluo? A name I've never heard!"
"Of course you haven't. Everyone who's seen him is dead!"
"A physique bearing both Buddha and devil-just imagine how terrifying it must be!"
"Stop talking. The video's here!"
The crowd clamored as a swath of blood-red slowly appeared on the Heavenly Ranking.
Low-hanging red clouds, piled bones, surging blood-colored tides, and low, eerie sounds that seemed poised to drag people into hell...
Even the screen could not block the terrifying murderous intent pouring out!
It was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!
All living beings were horrified. Merely looking at the Heavenly Ranking gave them a suffocating sense that their souls would scatter!
High in the heavens, the Heavenly Ranking shifted, revealing the reward.
[Eighth-place reward] Eternal Devil Dragon Staff
"Holy crap!"
"The Eternal Devil Dragon Staff! That's the weapon of slaughter the Devil Ancestor forged a million years ago after killing ten thousand devil dragons!"
"Everyone who's possessed it has been a figure who stood supreme through the ages!"
Spirit Continent, Devil Grotto.
Within the Ten Directions Hall sat a supreme devil, his scarlet armor spattered with blood. He held a million vengeful spirits in his hand and trod upon a thousand miles of blood-soaked earth. A pitch-black mask covered his face, its left side a compassionate Buddha's visage, its right a savage devil's.
The Devil Emperor, Lu Xiuluo!
Beside his skeletal throne, a ball of reward light appeared out of thin air!
He reached into it and drew out a pitch-black devil staff. In that instant, a world-shocking presence surged through the devil hall!
"The Heavenly Ranking opens, and I'm only eighth? Interesting, interesting..."
Lu Xiuluo laughed coldly.
The eyes he raised were as chilling as the depths of hell!
The Azure Dragon Clan.
"Eighth on the Heavenly Ranking, Devil Emperor Lu Xiuluo!"
"The terrifying being who dominates the Spirit Continent! Back then, he swept through eight hundred sects in a single night, leaving blood flowing for ten thousand miles. His fearsome reputation still chills people to the bone!"
"I thought he was an old devil, but unexpectedly, he qualifies for the younger generation's Aptitude Ranking. He must be very young!"
The ministers discussed it animatedly.
Qu Jiangxuan ground his teeth in jealous hatred, but when he recalled that mountain of corpses and sea of blood, that savage, bloodthirsty presence, that might which had annihilated eight hundred great sects overnight...
Searching his heart, what chance would he have against Lu Xiuluo?
The answer was-
Zero!
He, Qu Jiangxuan, had no choice but to accept it!
There was a reason Lu Xiuluo ranked above him. Such was the Heavenly Ranking's unquestionable authority!
The rankings continued to appear.
[Seventh place] Name: World-Purifying Daoist Physique: World-Purifying Dao Physique Evaluation: Dao Emulates Own Inherent Spontaneity; commands the cycle of cause and effect, holds the reincarnation of merit! [Sixth place] Name: Qi Wuyan Physique: Numinous Heavenly Calculation Evaluation: A thousand autumns' affairs in the closing of an eye, ten thousand ages' storms between bent fingers! [Fifth place] Name: Ye Yuan Physique: Supreme Double Pupils Evaluation: Double Pupils were ever an invincible path; opening and closing, they dare give the world a new face!
Rays of golden light shone.
Stunning names emerged one after another.
Scenes of incomparable brilliance unfolded.
"The World-Purifying Dao Physique? The strongest, most heaven-defying Daoist physique! That's the great merit the Heavenly Venerable left behind when primordial chaos first opened!"
"Qi Wuyan of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is said to be a figure beyond the mortal world, above the clouds, able to divine fortune, contend with heaven, and outcalculate it by a move!"
"Who is this Ye Yuan? He actually possesses Double Pupils!"
"Double Pupils are invincible!"
"Looking at it this way, Qu Jiangxuan really doesn't amount to much!"
"I'm getting more and more curious about the top spot! Just what sort of peerless figure could deserve first place on the Heavenly Ranking?!"...
The Heavenly Ranking's placements once again shocked the world. Afterward, rewards were distributed, streaks of white light descending in succession.
Each reward was more stunning than the last: legendary battle armor, God Grade cultivation methods, supreme treasures from High Antiquity... All were treasures of legend. Beyond having their horizons broadened, everyone harbored their own thoughts.
Some were envious, some jealous, and others silently memorized where the white rainbows fell, intending to search for them another day...
Azure Cloud Holy Land.
Ye Yuan, ranked high in fifth place, showed no joy whatsoever. His expression was even somewhat grave.
The rankings of the likes of Qu Jiangxuan and Mu Shuangling had been as expected, but what surprised him was that he was only fifth?
Double Pupils originated at the end of the primordial age!
They were the manifestation of a Great Dao from that age!
How could a physique surpassing Double Pupils exist in this world? Had heaven miscalculated?!
Ye Yuan's long brows subtly furrowed.
Just then, a white ball of light descended from the horizon. It was the Great Dao's reward!
[Fifth-place reward] Great Thousand Chess [Great Thousand Chess: A divine-grade secret treasure. Take heaven and earth as chess pieces, take all living beings as chess pieces; command life and grasp death, the great thousand worlds are mine.]
As the reward appeared, heaven and earth trembled. Vast spiritual resonance swept across the great thousand worlds, once again sublimating the people of the world.
Ye Yuan's uncanny Double Pupils swept over the reward. He remained silent for a long time, his faintly trembling hands revealing the turmoil within him.
He slowly raised his head toward the Heavenly Ranking. Proud and aloof as he was, even his curiosity had now been thoroughly stirred!
Eastern Continent.
Azure Luan Clan.
A woman stood quietly atop a lofty peak, with pines and cranes beside her.
Her graceful brows were lightly defined, her features gentle and lovely. She wore a pure-white shirt, its top two buttons stretched so tightly that they seemed about to fly off the next second.
Below was an ink-blue short skirt, its pleats crisp and even. White stockings covered her long, lustrous thighs, with delicate lace patterns along their edges.
The Azure Luan Clan's heavenly maiden, Qiuye!
"I didn't expect the Heavenly Ranking to be so strict. Even Qu Jiangxuan with his Azure Dragon Divine Physique only came ninth!
"Nearly half the rankings have been announced, yet my name still hasn't appeared. If I don't make the list, won't that be too embarrassing?
"Aaah, how frustrating..."
Qiuye cupped her face in both hands, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, her heart both nervous and expectant. Then she lowered her sleeves and swung her little hands with mixed feelings.
"Ah, I meant to wait until the time was ripe to announce it, but the Heavenly Ranking has exposed it instead. Who knows how that old crone of the Azure Dragon Clan will stamp her feet?
"Heh, she's fought this king for half a lifetime. Now she's old and decrepit, yet she still refuses to settle down.
"Qiuye, you've just awakened the strongest physique, perfectly inherited from the progenitor. Your aptitude should place you among the finest in a hundred thousand years!
"On that Heavenly Ranking, you should at least take fourth place!"
Gu Chen strode over. At the thought of Xuan Tugu, his eyes turned cold, a trace of contempt spilling onto his face.
He was the king of the Azure Luan Clan!
As they spoke, the Heavenly Ranking updated again!