Chapter 1 The Golden List Descends from the Heavenly Canopy, Chang'an City Can No Longer Hide It!
Douluo Continent, in a valley on the eastern side of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Here stands a secluded city embraced by the Great Wall—Chang'an!
At this moment, on the back mountain of the City Lord's Mansion, Ye Han stood under the golden ancient tree, his eyes slightly solemn.
"It's been two and a half years since I broke through to the Title Douluo level, but my cultivation has stagnated and I can't make any progress. What is the reason for this?"
Eighteen years ago, Ye Han transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, awakened the Creator God System, and obtained multiple martial souls.
Having this system does not allow for cultivation; one can only grow stronger by collecting the faith of living beings until reaching level 100 and condensing a divine position to become a god.
So Ye Han came here, established the city of Chang'an, recruited creatures from all over the world, and gathered faith to become stronger.
He had hoped to survive until he became a god, but ever since he advanced to level 91 Title Douluo, the faith power he collected afterward had no effect on his cultivation.
The system gave no hints; the reason was left for him to discover...
Just then, a graceful figure approached from not far away, accompanied by a delicate fragrance.
"Lord City Lord, is something on your mind? Should we cancel today's schedule?"
Upon hearing the sound, Ye Han looked over and saw a graceful woman with long, jet-black hair, dressed in ancient white clothing.
The woman's name is Shangguan Wan'er, her martial soul is "Jinghong Brush", she is an agility-type titled Douluo, and her title is "Jinghong"!
She is currently the third-in-command of Chang'an City. Originally from the world of Honor of Kings, she was able to come to this world only because:
Ye Han has a martial soul that is Nuwa's 'Ark Core'. In addition to having soul skills, each of his nine soul rings will also randomly be accompanied by a hero.
The further along the path you go, the stronger the hero becomes with their accompanying spirit rings. Shangguan Wan'er, however, is the weakest because she only has her first spirit ring, and she is only level 94!
Of course, companion heroes can also improve themselves through cultivation, but Shangguan Wan'er was too focused on managing Chang'an City and neglected her cultivation.
"It's alright. How is the situation inside the city? What are the plans for today?"
Ye Han shook his head, put away his martial spirit, and asked leisurely.
"Reporting to the City Lord, everything in the city is as usual. Lord Sikong has properly settled the soul beasts that were recruited yesterday."
"Li Bai went to spar with Li Xin again, but it didn't affect the Great Wall Guards' normal patrols."
"Your schedule for today is the same as yesterday's; I will accompany you to the Star Dou Great Forest to recruit soul beasts."
Ye Han nodded slightly as he listened to Shangguan Wan'er's report.
Although the power of faith was 'malfunctioning,' he hadn't given up on recruiting and collecting living beings over the years, just in case it was restored.
To maintain the secrecy and stability of Chang'an, he only recruited honest mortals and gentle soul beasts, never soul masters.
As a result, there has never been any unrest in the city. Mortals and spirit beasts live together peacefully and have no worries about food and clothing. It is no exaggeration to call this place a paradise.
Just as Ye Han was deep in thought, a loud "boom" suddenly rang out in the sky!
The entire sky of the Douluo Continent was suddenly enveloped in a layer of dazzling golden light.
The golden light radiated supreme divine power, causing all living beings to instinctively look up in awe.
Golden light gathered into a canopy, upon which lines of divine characters gradually appeared:
[The will of Heaven manifests in the Golden Ranking, ranking first on the Power Ranking!]
[Based on the combined strength of all factions, the top fifteen have been ranked!]
All ranked factions will receive rewards, with higher rankings yielding richer rewards!
This scene was like a thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of all living beings and stirring up a huge wave!
"..."
Ye Han stared at the strange phenomenon in the sky, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Thinking that it was most likely caused by his system, he couldn't help but sigh:
"It seems that the Chang'an city I built can no longer be hidden."
Upon seeing this, Shangguan Wan'er's expression instantly tensed up.
"Lord City Lord, what should we do?"
"Let's wait and see, and make a decision after the list is fully released."
Ye Han shook his head and said, "Let Chang'an City be exposed, the city's fighting force is enough to protect itself."
This might be an opportunity to break through his stagnant cultivation level, which made him feel hopeful.
...
at the same time.
In front of the Papal Palace in Wuhun City.
Bibi Dong stood ramrod straight, holding her scepter, gazing up at the sky above, her beautiful eyes churning with turbulent emotions.
The energy emanating from it far exceeded her comprehension, even more powerful than the Rakshasa God she was to inherit!
Therefore, what the sky says must be true!
Thinking of this, Bibi Dong's ambition instantly spread like wildfire, and she sneered wickedly:
"Our Spirit Hall has countless Soul Masters and a vast number of Title Douluos, far surpassing other forces. We are sure to win the championship!"
Upon seeing this, the two elders, Kiku and Oni, who were guarding her, immediately bowed and echoed her sentiments:
"His Holiness the Pope is right. The position of champion and its rewards will surely belong to our Spirit Hall."
"A divinely bestowed reward is bound to be extraordinary and will surely elevate His Holiness the Pope's power to a new level."
Bibi Dong suddenly thought of something, her beautiful eyes darkened, and she coldly snorted:
"Hmph, it's still uncertain whether this reward will even fall into my hands. I'm afraid that by then, our Spirit Hall will become the target of everyone's wrath!"
Upon hearing this, Elders Kiku and Oni unconsciously looked towards the direction of the Hall of Worship.
They knew that the Spirit Hall was not a place where His Holiness the Pope could have absolute authority, and there would inevitably be disputes over who would receive the rewards.
What we should be more worried about is the external situation. Once the Spirit Hall's true strength is exposed, the situation on the mainland will inevitably change!
...
Offering Hall.
The seven great deities stood side by side, gazing solemnly at the sky above.
They felt the terrifying aura emanating from it and dared not question it.
The burly, resolute-faced Second Elder, Golden Crocodile Douluo, spoke first:
"Brothers, the top spot on this power ranking will surely belong to our Spirit Hall!"
Upon hearing this, the other retainers nodded in agreement.
"In terms of overall strength, even the Sea God Temple, which also possesses divine inheritance, is far inferior to our Spirit Hall!"
"The divine reward for being at the top of the leaderboard is beyond our wildest imagination. It might even help our eldest brother break through that final step and become a god!"
All eyes turned to Qian Daoliu, filled with anticipation.
However, Qian Daoliu slowly shook his head, his voice filled with determination:
"Everything I have is a gift from the angels. Even if this divine reward could truly help me become a god, I will never betray my mission!"
"not to mention..."
Qian Daoliu paused, his gaze drifting towards the direction of the Papal Palace, his tone becoming more complex:
"Now that I am not in charge of the Spirit Hall, even if I receive the reward, it will most likely end up in Dong'er's hands."
Golden Crocodile disliked Bibi Dong's way of doing things the most, and upon hearing this, he could not tolerate it and immediately shouted:
"Then we'll snatch it when the time comes. If you don't need it, big brother, you can keep it for Xiaoxue. We absolutely cannot let that wicked woman get it!"
Qian Daoliu frowned and shook his head, his expression helpless and solemn as he said:
"Calm down. This matter is not yet settled. Let's wait for the list to be released before making any plans. What we should be more concerned about is external factors!"
"If the true strength of our Spirit Hall is exposed by this list, the consequences will be severe, and it might even affect Xiaoxue's infiltration plan!"
Upon hearing this, the area in front of the ancestral hall fell into complete silence.
The greatest strength of the Spirit Hall lies in these few old guys.
They had been in hiding for many years and were believed to have died long ago. Once exposed, they would be targeted.
If the impact causes Xiaoxue's plan to fail, all her years of hard work will be wasted, and she will certainly find it difficult to bear the blow.
Is this sudden celestial event a blessing or a curse? Hopefully, the ranking rewards can salvage the situation somewhat!
...
The Heavenly Dou Empire, Heavenly Dou City Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xueye urgently summoned all his civil and military officials, as well as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, who was disguised as Qian Renxue, and asked nervously:
"My beloved ministers, what do you think of this celestial curtain descending? There are very few powerful forces belonging to our Heavenly Dou Empire!"
(End of chapter)