C6 An Unknown Thing Was the Scariest!

At this moment, the Heaven Ranking tolled with a series of astonishing chimes, heralding the imminent revelation of the top contender. Across the world, from the Azure Dragon Clan to the Azure Phoenix Clan, the Azure Cloud Holy Land, the Heavenly Secret Building, to Ruin Returning, all eyes were fixed on the Heaven Ranking unfurling in the sky. The masses were abuzz with curiosity—if not the Pure Body, then what kind of extraordinary being could claim the title of the strongest physique?

The golden light bathed the earth, and as all breaths were held, whether underground, on the surface, or in midair, everyone was eager to see who would outshine the prodigies and secure the coveted first place. The Heaven Ranking, ever unpredictable, sent ripples of anticipation and anxiety through the crowd.

Then, with a resounding boom, the golden list finally settled. The moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived—the first place was revealed to the world. But something was amiss...

"What's happening?"

"Why has the sky gone dark?"

"Is there a glitch in the Heaven Ranking? Where's the first place? I need to see who's at the top!"

"Could someone be tampering with it in secret?"

"Who would dare meddle with the Great Dao Heaven Ranking?!"

The announcement of the top rank sent shockwaves through the masses, an unparalleled astonishment akin to the steam rising from a roiling sea. The Heaven Ranking was shrouded in darkness, and even the released video showed nothing but a void. The sky itself seemed to mourn, plunging all into an eternal night, leaving the onlookers bewildered, restless, and fearful of the unknown.

Amidst the chaos, a thunderous roar shook the heavens, and a section of the sky crumbled away! Torrential floods swept the land, accompanied by the cacophony of wailing spirits and howling beasts.

High above the Tian Continent, within the Heavenly Secret Building, a woman in a smoky gray dress, her eyes veiled and holding a bronze Fate Cauldron, stumbled back. Her retreat caused the heavens to collapse, transforming the earth into a boundless sea. She was Qii Wuyan, the sixth-ranked Heaven Calculating Master. Two disciples rushed to support her as Qi Tian, a man in purple robes, demanded, "Wuyan, what's wrong?!"

Clutching the Fate Cauldron, Qii Wuyan gazed upwards. Though blind, her innate talent allowed her to divine the Great Dao's karma without sight. "The first on the Heaven Ranking has appeared!" she exclaimed. "It's an absolute darkness, beyond my predictions. Yet, I can sense it—a terrifyingly powerful Heavenly Fortune swirling around, unmatched in a hundred thousand years!"

"You mean to say..."

"He is shrouded in divine fate, his form obscured. But I can infer that he will be the peerless figure of our era, the supreme being of our time!" Qii Wuyan's voice shook, her body strained from delving into the profound secrets of the Great Dao.

Qi Tian remained silent, knowing his daughter, the most gifted among the Heaven Calculating Masters, could foresee the past and future. Her words were undoubtedly true.

Meanwhile, in the Vast Dragon Clan, Xuan Tugu's face was a mix of ashen and pale. The enigma of the Heaven Ranking's number one filled her with unease. Qu Jiangxuan, once haughty and envious, now felt as deflated as a frostbitten eggplant. Despite his reluctance to concede, the emergence of beings like the Spiritual Heavenly Calculating and the Human Emperor Body left him no choice but to accept the reality.

In the Azure Cloud Holy Land, as the sun dipped low and the red maples blurred, Ye Yuan tapped a chess piece thoughtfully. "Oh, shrouded in mystery, are you?" he mused. "You've certainly piqued my interest..."

On the Holy Continent, Chu Shanjun sat in meditation on a simple boat, fishing rod in hand. Yaen Fei, with a sidelong glance, chided, "No need for silent brooding. Speak your mind. But then again, I'm used to your ways. I'll just keep an eye on the Heaven Ranking's rewards for you, so you can be ready to mingle with the new elite."

Chu Shanjun smiled, "I just now keenly perceived an extremely dangerous aura emanating from the infinite darkness on the Heaven Ranking. It was so thrilling, I couldn't contain my excitement!"

Yaen Fei responded, "It's definitely a rush to meet a worthy opponent!"

On the Yuan Continent, within a humble tea pavilion, Sushang, having satisfied her hunger and thirst, volunteered her life story to Xie Feng. She was born in the Heavenly Sword Holy Land and had grown up solely under her mother's care. Her mother had always shielded her well, but her mother's recent death from illness plunged Sushang into deep sorrow. After burying her mother, she began a nomadic life, vulnerable and naive to the ways of the world, until she found herself here, quite by chance.

Xie Feng revealed to Sushang that she had a seal within her that, once lifted, would allow her cultivation journey to soar, as if propelled by an easterly wind. However, the removal of the seal would require the aid of a special Medicine Pill.

A seventh-grade mid-level Pill Master himself, Xie Feng explained that Pill Masters are ranked from one to ten, with each higher grade signifying greater strength. Each grade is further subdivided into four levels: Beginner, Middle, High, and Great Perfection. Pill Masters above the sixth grade are exceedingly rare and valued.

Xie Feng had deduced that the one who had placed the seal within Sushang was also a Pill Master, and a formidable one at that – an eighth-grade practitioner. Considering her White Tiger Physique and the sophisticated sealing technique used, Sushang's past was undoubtedly shrouded in mystery. Xie Feng's gaze shifted thoughtfully; breaking the seal was the immediate priority.

He pondered the various Medicine Pills known to break seals and lift restrictions. To undo the work of an eighth-grade Pill Master, he would need an equally or more powerful pill. The one he needed was the Nine Lights Restriction Pill.

Medicine Pills are categorized from grades one to ten, followed by Holy, Immortal, and Holy Grades, each with three levels of mastery. Yet, pills above the tenth grade are nearly mythical.

The Nine Lights Restriction Pill, at the pinnacle of eighth-grade Great Perfection, could shatter soul seals with ease and, if perfectly crafted, could even ascend to the ninth grade. Crafting this pill would require over a hundred different herbs, but Xie Feng was not concerned. His master had cultivated a garden of medicinal herbs on the mountain behind their sect, a trove of the rare and unusual.

"Sushang, let's go," he said.

"Where to?" she asked, her head tilted in curiosity.

"To the Armillary Sphere Sect."

"Wow~ Can we really go home?" Her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands in delight, her cheeks rosy and plump as apples, her innocence endearing.

Xie Feng couldn't help but smile at her simplicity. She had only just met him and was already so trusting. He worried that if someone were to lead her astray, she might just follow along cheerfully. Shaking his head with a sigh, he was about to depart when darkness suddenly enveloped the land as if night had fallen prematurely.

"What's happening? It's gone dark!" someone exclaimed.

"The top spot on the Heaven Ranking has been claimed! But it's odd, there's no name listed!"

"Good heavens, how mysterious!"

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

Xie Feng watched the Heaven Ranking, his eyes reflecting a subtle disturbance. He knew he was the nameless number one, his transmigration having altered the world's energy and causing the enigmatic darkness. This anonymity was a boon; it gave him time to break the seal without drawing attention.

For now, refining the pill was paramount.

With that, Xie Feng and Sushang made their way back to the Armillary Sphere Sect.

...

The first-place reward was being distributed. The Heaven Ranking remained shrouded in darkness, the only indication of activity a brilliant white rainbow that slashed through the gloom.

The white rainbow cascaded from the heavens, watched by countless eyes, all eager to discern where the reward would land and possibly reveal the whereabouts of the enigmatic number one.

But to the astonishment of the onlookers, despite their persistent surveillance, the white rainbow vanished without a trace as it descended, like a stone sinking into the depths of the ocean. No matter how they strained their senses, an unseen force thwarted them, rendering the exact location of the reward utterly untraceable.

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