Chapter 84 The Ranking of Geniuses of All Races Revealed

Lin Qingyue looked outside.

Seventeen people stood in the sky above the Central State, surrounded by the power of Laws, with thunder, a sea of blood, and starlight churning together.

Those were the people in power from the Immortal and Demon Realms. Any one of them could stir up great Chaos within the realms.

"I didn't expect..."

Lin Qingyue withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Gu Heng, who was sitting not far away.

Gu Heng was staring at a certain spot in the void, seemingly deep in thought.

Lin Qingyue spoke softly, "How long has it been? When I first met you in the Lower Realm, you were still scheming against those True Immortals and Profound Immortals. Now, you can actually exchange blows with so many Immortal Emperors?"

Hearing this, Gu Heng's hand paused, and his tea almost spilled onto his lapel.

"Ahem..."

He coughed and muttered, "I'm quite helpless too... Who would want to fight to the death with these old monsters?

It's mainly these Immortal Emperors; it's as if they've eaten something wrong—they've been sticking to me like glue the whole way, and I can't shake them off."

He spread his hands.

This wasn't an act on Gu Heng's part; he really just wanted to be "Passing By" a few more people. Who would have thought these Emperor Realm experts would chase him all the way to this Original Realm with its broken Laws?

Lin Qingyue looked at him, her gaze becoming subtle. She shook her head gently, a trace of complexity flashing in her eyes.

Then she turned her gaze outside to the seventeen pillars of light that were bombarding the barriers of the God-Falling Abyss and frowned.

"Then next... how do you plan to leave?"

In her view, although Gu Heng had survived the pursuit of seventeen Immortal Emperors until now, being cornered at the bottom of the God-Falling Abyss meant he was at the end of his tether.

No matter how strong the heaven-reaching tower was, it was still an inanimate object and would eventually be depleted. Running was the only option now.

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Leave?" he asked back. "Why should I leave?"

Lin Qingyue was stunned.

A look of absurdity appeared on her usually cold face. She suspected she had misheard.

"Are you crazy?"

Lin Qingyue's voice rose, her silver-white eyes full of disbelief. "Look outside! Those are seventeen Immortal Emperors! Each one is a Supreme existence in the Immortal and Demon Realms, having climbed to that position by stepping over the bones of billions of Cultivators and crossing mountains of corpses and seas of blood!"

She thought Gu Heng had a Breakthrough too quickly and developed a Heart Demon.

Gu Heng was not agitated.

He stretched, his bones popping a few times, and then slowly stood up.

He walked to the tower wall, looking at those Emperor Realm experts outside, a smirk playing on his lips.

"If I win, I can naturally leave."

Gu Heng turned his head and looked at Lin Qingyue. "Aren't they just seventeen Immortal Emperors? One against seventeen—the advantage is mine!"

Lin Qingyue opened her mouth, but couldn't say a single word.

She looked at the man before her, feeling as though she had never truly known him.

While the two were talking inside the heaven-reaching tower, things had already changed outside.

At the bottom of the God-Falling Abyss,

the purple-gold Small World set up by the ancestor of the Dragon God Domain finally couldn't hold on any longer. With a muffled sound, the purple-gold sky shattered and dispersed into flowing light.

"No—"

The Mahayana Stage Dragon Clan Clan Chief roared as his dragon body was torn apart in the void storm. Hundreds of Dragon Clan Elders didn't even have time to scream before their dragon bodies were annihilated, leaving only their souls.

The Old Dragon King hid behind a fragment of spiritual jade, clutching his head, his dragon scales covered in cracks.

He closed his eyes, praying in his heart that his master would quickly show his might and swat these Immortal Emperors into meat paste.

The Small World collapsed, and the true form of the heaven-reaching tower was revealed, floating lonely in the void turbulence.

It emitted a dark golden light, like a boat in the wind and waves.

"Found it!"

The Thunder Emperor widened his eyes, greed visible in them.

He raised his hand, and the Zixiao Divine Thunder transformed into thick lightning chains, piercing through the void to entwine the mustard-seed-sized heaven-reaching tower.

The space around the heaven-reaching tower was sealed shut.

"Hahahaha! Thief, let's see where else you can run!" the Thunder Emperor laughed loudly.

Li Tiantu and the other Devil Emperors also sacrificed their Origin Laws, sealing off all escape routes around the God-Falling Abyss. Seventeen Emperor Realm Laws wove into a net, turning this area into a dead zone.

The Immortal Emperors prepared to join forces to refine the heaven-reaching tower and force Gu Heng out. At that moment, the realm passage overhead suddenly vibrated.

The sky of the Lower Realm, torn open by seventeen Emperor Realm experts, rippled with a layer of golden light. That ripple carried a will that transcended all things, pushing aside the pressure of the Immortal Emperors.

Then,

dozens of streaks of light fell out of the passage.

The streaks of light stabilized, revealing young figures one after another.

The Taiji Divine Son, Feng Jiuge, Jian Wuxin... as well as the recently rescued Li Tianqiong and the Myriad Races Geniuses.

They had been watching from the other side of the realm passage and were swept down by this golden ripple.

"What's going on?" the Thunder Emperor frowned.

Li Tiantu looked up at the increasingly dense golden glow in the sky, a flash of realization passing through his dark red demonic pupils.

He took a deep breath. "Different realms have different time flow rates. Time passes quickly in this Lower Realm. Calculating the days, the trial in the Place of Origin should be over."

He turned to look at the other Emperor Realm experts and smiled. "Looking at this celestial phenomenon, the Ten Thousand Races Talent List should be about to be revealed. How coincidental... the Myriad Races Geniuses have been pulled to this realm by the will of the Heavenly Dao."

The Thunder Emperor nodded.

The heaven-reaching tower was already sealed; he was in no hurry.

The revelation of the Ten Thousand Races Talent List concerned the Luck of each race for the next million years, so even Immortal Emperors dared not take it lightly.

"Since we've made it in time, let's see which good prospects can stand out in this era."

The Star Immortal Emperor stroked his beard and smiled, his gaze sweeping over several prodigies of the Human Race.

Li Tiantu looked at his son, Li Tianqiong.

Li Tianqiong still had the heaven-reaching tower's Origin aura in his body. His cultivation was stable at the Immortal King Realm Late Stage, with Devilish Qi churning around him. He looked triumphant, with no trace of the pathetic state he was in when he was pinned to the ground earlier.

Li Tiantu showed a smile of appreciation. "This boy, although he was scared witless by you old fellows just now, in terms of talent and Opportunity, he is indeed the Qilin son of my Li family.

A cultivation of the Late Stage Immortal King Realm is top-tier among these juniors."

He paused. "The top spot on the Myriad Races Geniuses list wouldn't be an insult to him."

Hearing Li Tiantu's words, the Thunder Emperor snorted inwardly but didn't argue.

Li Tianqiong's Late Stage Immortal King cultivation was right there, indeed higher than the others.

"Old Ghost Li, don't speak too soon. The prodigies of our Human Race have always been late bloomers. The Divine Son of the Taiji Dao Sect and Jian Wuxin of the Sword Pavilion—the depth of their foundations isn't something that can be measured by surface cultivation."

The Thunder Emperor said, praising his own Prodigy in the process.

The other Devil Emperors were not to be outdone, each speaking up to praise their own or familiar Demon Race geniuses.

For a moment, the originally tense void turned into a tea party where the Immortal and Demon Races compared their juniors.

Not far away,

Han Yuan of the Dragon Clan was shaking his folding fan, having somehow sidled up to Li Tianqiong again.

With a face full of smiles, he bowed deeply. "Congratulations, Brother Li! Seeing Brother Li turn danger into safety just now, and with a Devil Emperor Senior backing you, Han's heart is finally at ease.

With Brother Li's current Late Stage Immortal King cultivation, the top spot on the Talent List definitely belongs to no one but you!"

Li Tianqiong glanced at Han Yuan.

He hadn't forgotten that when he was being targeted by the Thunder Emperor just now, this man surnamed Han had run faster than anyone.

But at this moment,

facing the gaze of seventeen Immortal Emperors and feeling the surging power within him, Li Tianqiong was in a very good mood.

He decided not to hold Han Yuan's previous betrayal against him.

In his view, with over a dozen Immortal Emperors descending, under that kind of pressure, he would have also stayed away from a "good friend" if he were in Han's shoes.

This was only human nature. As the future Supreme of the Demon Realm, he, Li Tianqiong, had at least this much magnanimity.

"Brother Han, you flatter me."

Li Tianqiong stood with his hands behind his back, slightly lifting his chin. "The myriad worlds are vast, and outstanding prodigies are as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

Although I, Li, have had some opportunities, I dare not claim to be number one in the world. The top spot still requires the impartial judgment of the Heavenly Dao."

While he spoke humble words, the fervor in his eyes could no longer be hidden.

He was already fantasizing about the shocked expressions of the seventeen Immortal Emperors and the scene of the Myriad Races Geniuses bowing in worship when his name hung high at the top of the list.

He, Li Tianqiong, was indeed a Genius destined by fate.

While Li Tianqiong was still lost in self-intoxication, the disturbance in the sky suddenly intensified.

"Boom—"

A grand heavenly sound exploded within the Sea of Consciousness of every living being.

The Immortal Emperors stopped talking and all looked toward the high sky, their eyes filled with expectation.

They had lived for too long; the changes of a million years had long since made them indifferent to everything.

Power, resources, and even life and death could not cause much of a ripple in their state of mind.

Only this Ten Thousand Races Talent List could pique their interest slightly.

Because it concerned those fledglings who had yet to mature, and who would dominate the trends of the myriad worlds in the next era.

Golden light tore through the Chaos airflow, spreading out like a giant scroll in the center of the void storm.

The Golden List appeared.

Divine Patterns of the Great Dao flowed along the edges of the scroll, and the primitive Laws from the dawn of creation circulated within.

The list did not display all the names immediately; instead, starting from the fiftieth place, they lit up one by one.

Each name that appeared was accompanied by a burst of Heavenly Dao divine light.

The divine light passed through the realm barriers and fell upon the prodigies on the list.

The auras of the prodigies enveloped in the divine light began to rise, and their cultivation barriers were burst open. This was the blessing bestowed by the Heavenly Dao upon those on the list.

The Golden List hung in the air, illuminating the entire broken land of the Central State.

All eyes, whether of the Emperor Realm experts or the Myriad Races Geniuses below, were transfixed by the slowly appearing golden characters.

"50th Place — Spirit Race, Hua Qianshu, Heavenly Immortal Late Stage."

As the characters appeared, a green divine light fell from the Golden List, piercing through the void and shining on a green-robed youth at the edge of the Spirit Race group.

The youth's originally pale face turned rosy, and the Spiritual Qi within his body surged.

"Break!"

Hua Qianshu gave a low shout, and the shadow of an ancient tree appeared above his head.

His cultivation crossed the threshold from the Late Stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm to the Profound Immortal Realm.

"Thank you for the Heavenly Dao's gift!" Hua Qianshu knelt on the ground.

Seeing this, the breathing of the other prodigies became heavy.

If the 50th place could receive such a boost in cultivation, how great a fortune would those ranked higher receive?

The list continued to reveal upward.

"30th Place — Dragon Clan, Ao Qingqing, Profound Immortal Early Stage."

"20th Place — Human Race, Jian Wuxin, Profound Immortal Peak."

The higher the ranking, the longer the interval between the names appearing, and the stronger the Heavenly Dao blessings that descended.

After receiving the blessing, Jian Wuxin's Sword Qi soared to the heavens, directly shattering the void cracks around him. His cultivation stepped into the Early Stage of the Immortal King Realm, drawing a wave of exclamations from the surroundings.

Li Tianqiong watched the prodigies continuously receiving blessings, the sneer on his lips growing deeper.

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"Just some ants at the Profound Immortal or Early Stage Immortal King Realm, and they dare to call themselves Prodigies?"

He thought to himself, "Once this Young Lord's name appears, the Heavenly Dao's blessing will surely help me step directly into the Immortal Venerable Realm!"

The list reached the top ten.

The sky over the entire Central Province, along with the dark space at the bottom of the God-Falling Abyss, began to tremble violently.

The Immortal Qi in the air became so dense it was almost tangible.

The top ten represented the ten most elite Prodigies of the Myriad Worlds in this epoch.

Thunder Emperor, Li Tiantu, and the others also put away their casual demeanor, their expressions becoming solemn.

The real main event had begun.

"Tenth place—Human Race, Taiji Divine Son, Early Stage Immortal King."

On the Golden List, Taiji Divine Son's name shone brilliantly.

Taiji Divine Son stood among the crowd, a trace of dissatisfaction flashing across his face. He considered his foundation profound and cultivated both Yin and Yang Daos, yet he was only ranked tenth?

But feeling the power of the blessing descending from above, he took a deep breath, suppressed his dissatisfaction, and sat cross-legged to absorb the power.

It was barely acceptable.

"Ninth place—Yao Race, Feng Jiuge, Early Stage Immortal King."

"Eighth place—Demon Race, Xuesha, Middle Stage Immortal King."

"Seventh place—Human Race, Goddess, Middle Stage Immortal King."

In the crowd, that cold-faced Human Race Goddess frowned, her fingers gripping her jade beads tightly; she was unwilling to accept this seventh-place ranking.

"Sixth place—Dragon Clan, Han Yuan, Late Stage Immortal King."

A thick beam of golden light fell upon Han Yuan.

Han Yuan's hand, which had been fanning himself, paused. He closed his folding fan, looked up at his position on the Golden List, gave a bitter smile, and shook his head.

"Indeed, there is always a heaven beyond heaven, and people beyond people..."

Han Yuan sighed. He had thought that with his Late Stage Immortal King cultivation, even if he couldn't take first place, the top three would be secure. He hadn't expected to not even make the top five.

Li Tianqiong, standing beside him, saw this and put on a look of concern, reaching out to pat Han Yuan's shoulder with a tone like an elder comforting a junior.

"Brother Han, do not be disheartened."

Li Tianqiong smiled, "The Myriad Worlds are very deep. To be able to take sixth place among all these living beings is already an extremely high and rare ranking. It is enough to bring glory to your Dragon Clan."

While he consoled him with his words, the pride in his eyes could not be hidden at all.

Li Tianqiong calculated in his heart: The top ten list was halfway through, and even Han Yuan, with his Late Stage Immortal King cultivation, had no place in the top five. And he, Li Tianqiong, was also at the Late Stage Immortal King level, and he possessed the Origin of the heaven-reaching tower, with combat power far exceeding those of the same rank.

Since he wasn't sixth, wouldn't he, Li Tianqiong, be guaranteed a spot in the top three? Perhaps, the top spot was already beckoning to him.

"Fifth place—Spirit Race, Ye Xiaoyao, Late Stage Immortal King."

"Fourth place—Yao Race, Di Hao, Peak-stage Immortal King."

The Heavenly Dao's divine voice rolled across the sky like thunder.

Only the top three remained.

Li Tianqiong's heartbeat began to accelerate, his blood surging in his veins, making a sound like a rushing river. His breathing became rapid as he stared intensely at the three positions at the very top of the Golden List that had not yet lit up.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his trembling hands from excitement, and straightened his robes.

He stood straight, tilted his head slightly, and struck a most aloof pose, preparing to welcome the Heavenly Dao's blessing reserved for the top three.

Even Li Tiantu, standing high in the Void Realm, could not help but clench his fists slightly, his dark red devilish eyes filled with anticipation.

The top three were announced.

On the Golden List, among the three most dazzling positions, the lowest one—the third-place spot—erupted with blinding light.

The Heavenly Dao's divine voice crashed down.

"Third place—Demon Race, Li Tianqiong, Peak-stage Immortal King."

In that instant.

The arrogant smile on Li Tianqiong's face, prepared to welcome the cheers, froze.

"Th...Third?"

Li Tianqiong's voice trembled, his eyes wide as he stared at the large characters on the Golden List.

Third place?

He wasn't first?

He wasn't even second?

How is this possible!

In this Lower Realm, now that he had obtained the Origin of the heaven-reaching tower and possessed Peak-stage Immortal King combat power, how could there be two peers of compatible bone age in the Myriad Worlds ranked above him?

While he was stunned, the Heavenly Dao's blessing transformed into a golden pillar of light a hundred feet thick, engulfing him completely.

Inside that pillar of light were insights into the Dao and pure Spiritual Qi, which poured madly into his limbs and bones, pushing his thick Devilish Qi upward, charging toward the barrier of the Immortal Venerable Realm.

But Li Tianqiong felt no joy.

He only felt a buzzing in his head, as if he had been slapped in the face in front of everyone.

The sense of disparity made his chest feel stuffy, and a trace of sweetness rose in his throat.

"Congratulations, Brother Li! Many congratulations, Brother Li!"

Han Yuan leaned in, offering congratulations loudly with a smile, "Third place! This is the peerless glory of being in the top three of the Ten Thousand Races! Brother Li is truly a Divine Being!"

These words fell on Li Tianqiong's ears, sounding incredibly grating, as if mocking him.

He came to his senses, gritted his teeth, turned his head, his facial muscles twitching stiffly, and squeezed out a smile with difficulty.

"Cough, cough... Third place, it is... it is not bad."

In the Void Realm not far away, Li Tiantu stared at the Golden List with his devilish eyes, a trace of killing intent flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"This Emperor wants to see what other Prodigy in these Myriad Worlds can outrank my son."

White Bone Demon Emperor's soul fire flickered green in his eye sockets, his voice hoarse, "Old Monster Li, why are you in such a rush? The Ten Thousand Races Talent List is not based solely on cultivation."

"Talent, foundation, Opportunity, and Luck are all part of the evaluation. Li Tianqiong is ranked third at the Peak of the Immortal King Realm, which means the top two either have higher cultivation or... possess a Heaven-Defying foundation."

"Higher cultivation?"

Li Tiantu sneered, "No matter how high the cultivation is, how high could it be? Could it be that an Immortal Venerable has appeared?"

Red-Eyed Demon Emperor laughed strangely, "Immortal Venerable? Impossible. In the countless epochs of the Myriad Worlds, there has never been an Immortal Venerable under a hundred years old. This is an iron Law of the Heavenly Dao that no one can break."

"Then why are the top two ranked ahead of Li Tianqiong?"

"Perhaps... it is the Reincarnation of some Immortal Emperor?"

"Reincarnation? Although the bone age of a reincarnated body is new, the essence of their Divine Soul cannot deceive the Heavenly Dao. Reincarnated individuals are marked separately and are not counted in the Ten Thousand Races Talent List."

"Then it must be a direct descendant secretly cultivated by the Dragon God Domain or the Divine Court?"

"It is possible..."

The various Immortal Emperors discussed among themselves, their guesses becoming increasingly outrageous.

It wasn't just him; the seventeen Immortal Emperors in the sky, as well as all the living beings present, held their breath at this moment.

Li Tianqiong was the son of a Devil Emperor with Peak-stage Immortal King cultivation, yet he could only rank third.

Just how monstrous were the two people ranked ahead of him?

Under the gaze of all.

The second-place position on the Golden List slowly lit up.

It was a pure, silver-white light, possessing a very aloof, unworldly aura.

The Heavenly Dao's divine voice echoed in every corner of the realm: "Second place—Human Race, Lin Qingyue, Early Stage Immortal King."

The moment the voice fell.

The entire scene fell into dead silence.

Even the howling sound of the Void Realm storms was cut off by some invisible force.

After the brief silence, an uproar like a tsunami erupted.

"Lin Qingyue? Who is that?"

"Human Race Lin Qingyue? Never heard of her! Is this some Goddess hidden away by a reclusive Holy Land or an ancient family?"

"This is impossible! Look at her cultivation! Early Stage Immortal King? Why would an Early Stage Immortal King be ranked ahead of the Peak-stage Immortal King Li Tianqiong? Is the Heavenly Dao list wrong?"

The Myriad Races Geniuses were in an uproar. They could not understand why the Heavenly Dao would rank it this way in the face of such an absolute difference in cultivation.

As if to respond to everyone's doubts, beneath Lin Qingyue's name, supplementary information regarding the potential and foundation of the ranked individual slowly appeared.

It was a line of small text.

When everyone saw that line of small text clearly, the entire scene exploded once again.

The final information displayed was: [Bone Age: Less than a century.]

These four words were like a heavy hammer, smashing into the hearts of every living being present.

Even Thunder Emperor, standing at the highest point of the Void Realm, could not help but take a deep breath. The Zixiao Divine Thunder around his body shattered a large area of space.

"An Immortal King... less than a century old?" There was a tremor in Thunder Emperor's voice.

He turned to look at Star Immortal Emperor beside him, who was known for his cultivation speed, and asked in a dry voice, "Star, you were exceptionally talented in your youth and were known as a Prodigy born once every hundred thousand years for the Human Race. How long did it take you to break through to the Immortal King Realm?"

Star Immortal Emperor gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with shock, "Thunder Emperor is joking. This old man considered himself a Genius back then, but it still took me three thousand eight hundred years to cross the Profound Immortal barrier and step into the Immortal King Realm. An Immortal King of less than a century... it is unheard of, it defies the common sense of cultivation!"

Hearing this, the atmosphere on the Demon Race side dropped to freezing.

The pride on Li Tiantu's face was gone.

He stared at the three characters "Lin Qingyue" on the Golden List, his dark red devilish eyes exuding killing intent that froze the surrounding Void Realm into dark red ice crystals.

"An Immortal King of less than a century... and a Human at that..."

"Within the Human Race, there is actually such a Prodigy that defies the common sense of the Heavenly Dao?"

He knew very well that if such a Prodigy were allowed to grow, in a few thousand years at most, the Demon Race would face a terrifying enemy. It might even be another existence like the Imperial Teacher Jiang Wanyin.

"This girl must die. At all costs, she must be found and strangled in the cradle!"

White Bone Demon Emperor transmitted his voice sinisterly from the side, the eerie green soul fire in his eye sockets jumping wildly.

The Immortal Emperors each had their own ulterior motives, their killing intent boiling.

In the crowd below, someone suddenly shouted, "Wait... have you forgotten something?"

Everyone was stunned. Following the sound, they saw a Yao Race Prodigy pointing with a trembling finger toward the very top of the Golden List.

Everyone's heart contracted violently at this moment.

That's right.

A Human like Lin Qingyue, who reached the Early Stage Immortal King Realm in less than a century and could suppress the son of a Devil Emperor, was only ranked second.

Then that first place, which hung high above everyone's heads, had not yet lit up, and was ranked above Lin Qingyue and Li Tianqiong...

Thunder Emperor took a deep breath, his gaze slowly moving upward, landing on the blank position at the very top of the Golden List.

"The second place is already such a peerless Prodigy..."

"Then what kind of terrifying existence is the first place?"