Chapter 71: Introduction of the "Fame Ranking Chart"

Chapter 71: Introduction of the "Fame Ranking Chart"

In the capital, a new term has been trending recently.

It's called "Sunk Cost".

The Sect Master of Heavenward Sect sighed deeply, his gaze drifting towards the distant horizon as his thoughts wandered. He couldn't help but reminisce about his early days as an Outer Sect Disciple when he first joined the sect, a time he now missed dearly.

Meanwhile, in the Ask Heaven Market not far from Fufeng City, at the edge of a thousand-zhang high cliff beneath a withered tree, an elderly man with white hair sat on one side of a chessboard, casually picking up a white chess piece and placing it on the board with a chuckle. "The Worldly Strife is about to begin, and His Majesty seems rather anxious. It's just a Demon Clan invasion, yet he sent both of us, disposable assets, out here."

"It's clear that His Majesty is worried. He seems afraid that something might go wrong."

"Enough," the middle-aged man with sharp features sitting across the chessboard shook his head and carefully placed a black chess piece. "Qiu Lao, I suggest you refrain from speaking ill of His Majesty behind his back. He must have his reasons."

"What reasons?" The white-haired elder glanced nonchalantly towards Fufeng City, his gaze seemingly piercing through the black mist, observing everything happening in the city. A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. "You should know better than anyone what's going on."

"The Great Xia Nation was once a Heavenly Dao Prisoner from the previous Divine Path Version, wasn't it?"

"His Majesty is well aware of the consequences if all these Heavenly Dao Prisoners are released. That's why he sent the two of us, the strongest Great Xia Golden Core Powerhouses at the Peak of Foundation Establishment, to suppress this chaos."

"It's obvious that His Majesty is afraid."

"What do you think?" The white-haired elder looked down at the two hideous-looking Golden Core Demon Cultivators being suppressed by the vast and boundless Spirit Energy on the ground, unable to move an inch. He smiled and said, "I must say, this environment is quite comfortable."

"It's a pity that Golden Core Peak is the highest cultivation level achievable here, even with such dense Spirit Energy. No further progress is possible, or perhaps one could seek the Nascent Soul Path here."

"But it seems that even without us, these Heavenly Dao Prisoners wouldn't be able to escape alive."

"That young fellow down there, he definitely has at least one suitable pink Entry for Artificer Cultivators in his Dao Foundation. He's only at the first stage of Foundation Establishment, and it's unclear if he obtained it during Initial Qi Condensation or Initial Foundation. Quite lucky, indeed."

". . ."

The middle-aged man with a square jaw fell silent for a moment, losing interest in the chess game. He raised his head and spoke softly to the white-haired elder, "We are both serving His Majesty. Must we speak ill of him behind his back?"

"What harm is there in discussing him?" The white-haired elder showed disdain. "If he hadn't promised to help me break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, why would I serve him? And after all these years, has he kept his promise?"

"Calling him 'His Majesty' is already giving him face."

"Speaking of Treasonous matters, my lifespan is not long. If this promise remains unfulfilled before my time is up, I wouldn't mind taking His Majesty for a stroll down the Yellow Springs Path."

"And you, when did you become so loyal to His Majesty?"

"Don't forget our positions. We are Offering Priests of Great Xia, not servants."

The white-haired elder let out a cold laugh, his enthusiasm fading. With a swift sweep of his sleeve, the vast and boundless Spirit Energy surged, causing the two struggling Demon Cultivators to bleed from their five senses. Even the Golden Core that attempted to escape was crushed by a giant hand made of Spirit Energy.

With another flick of his sleeve, all the treasures in the Ask Heaven Market were collected.

The white-haired elder rose slowly, took a step forward, and disappeared from the cliff's edge, leaving behind only a faint voice.

"When we return, we'll report that the Market was invaded by Golden Core Demon Cultivators, and the Spirit Treasures have gone missing."

"We'll split them evenly between us."

"Even if we can't break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, we should leave something for our descendants."

The two Golden Core Demon Cultivators were both at the third layer of the Golden Core stage. Against the old monster at the peak of Foundation Establishment, they had no chance to fight back.

As a Heavenly Dao Prisoner, your cultivation is stagnant, and you can only dedicate yourself to studying spells with all your heart.

Ironically, these Golden Core Apex old demons are in the same predicament, and their cultivation far surpasses yours. How could you possibly stand a chance against them?

Among the Heavenly Dao prisoners, the highest cultivation level is merely the third layer of the Golden Core stage. These Golden Core Apex old demons appeared in Fufeng City, and although the Demon Clan's Golden Core cultivators could also descend upon the city, it made no difference.

When this white-haired elder appeared, almost all the demon cultivators in the surrounding two cities perished instantly as he passed by. It was an overwhelming display of power. A Golden Core Apex old demon effortlessly dealt with these Foundation Establishment demon cultivators. Even if you had spent thousands of years in the Heavenly Dao prison and perfected thousands of spells to the Great Perfection realm, it would still be of no use.

This was a qualitative difference that couldn't be bridged by quantity.

In an instant—

The unrestrained power of a Golden Core Apex cultivator enveloped the entire thousand-li area without restraint. Vast divine sense surged out, swiftly sweeping across the land, and the terrifying cultivation made all cultivators feel as if they were being crushed by a mountain, unable to move a muscle!

Weaker cultivators, those below the Foundation Establishment stage, had blood seeping from their five senses.

Though they didn't die, their internal organs had undoubtedly suffered some damage.

Even Chen Qiu, who had just stood up in Fufeng City, was overwhelmed by this powerful might, and he fell to the ground, unable to control his body as if the heavens had collapsed upon him. He tried to stand up, but to no avail.

No matter how hard he clenched his teeth and exerted himself, he couldn't lift his body even a single inch.

After several breaths,

The terrifying aura of the Golden Core cultivator gradually dissipated, and only then did Chen Qiu gasp for breath and crawl up from the ground. He turned his head to look at the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Fufeng City beside him, who were in an even worse state, trembling with fear on the ground.

This is... the power of a Golden Core cultivator? He had once believed that as long as he killed enough demonic beasts during the Foundation Establishment stage, allowing his Dao Foundation to contain sufficient spirit energy, and with the effect of the 'Spirit Qi Aura' entry, his spells would be strong enough to challenge a Golden Core cultivator.

Now it seemed that this was just a delusion born from never having encountered a Golden Core cultivator before.

The vast and terrifying spirit energy was not a matter of quantity but of quality! To counter this qualitative suppression, his spirit energy would have to accumulate to an exaggerated extent, to an unimaginable amount, or he would have no chance against this kind of qualitative dominance.

If,

If such an existence wanted to kill him, he would have almost no means to survive.

Just then—

A heavy yet ethereal voice sounded in his ear.

"Heavenly Will Decree": The Demon Clan has been defeated. The remaining demons in the prison will be considered dead as well.

During the major update of 'Worldly Strife', a new Heavenly Dao ranking, the 'Fame Ranking Chart', will be added.

This ranking will be based on how well-known the listed cultivators are.

The chart will update in real-time, and every day, cultivators can receive a Heavenly Blessing based on their ranking.

As this voice sounded, the thick black mist that had enveloped the surroundings began to dissipate, signaling the end of the "Demon Invasion."

Chen Qiu's face paled slightly as he quickly sat cross-legged, operating his Heart Technique. His Heavenly Mandate Foundation Establishment was rapidly rotating, absorbing the abundant spirit energy.

During the previous battle, he had already broken through to the second layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. After all, when he left the city gates, his cultivation progress had already reached ninety-nine percent, just a step away from the second layer. Additionally, his Heavenly Mandate Foundation Establishment was constantly rotating, automatically raising his cultivation, so breaking through to the second layer was not surprising.

However, he intentionally avoided examining the three entries within his body after the breakthrough, allowing him to surpass the ten-breath restriction and choose later.

It's not easy to find an environment with such dense spirit energy.

While the black mist hasn't completely dispersed, he should take advantage of this opportunity to operate his Heart Technique, improve his cultivation progress, and fill up his Dao Foundation. Usually, filling it up once would waste a considerable number of spirit stones, so he shouldn't miss this free chance.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end