Chapter 1146: Heaven-Sent Bad News

The start of the first preliminary battle of the Profound God Convention completely changed the atmosphere of the entire Eastern Divine Region. Discussions about the convention filled every corner of the region.

Beyond the Eastern Divine Region, the Western and Southern Divine Regions also paid attention, either openly or covertly. As for the distant Northern Divine Region, often referred to by many as the "Northern Devil Region"—"abandoned" and "cursed"—no one knew of its activities.

The rankings on the first day strikingly displayed the magnificent bearing of the "Four God Children of the East" to the world. Compared to their renowned names, which were previously only heard in rumors, their lord-like combat achievements and rankings undoubtedly shocked hearts even more directly.

However, the first day's rankings were, after all, only the first day's rankings. Many even believed that the early standings could be entirely disregarded. As the preliminary battles progressed—day by day, for five, then ten days—the rankings continued to shift.

By the tenth day, the brutal struggle among all the young geniuses of the Eastern Divine Region truly began. After accumulating resources by defeating profound beasts on the battlefield, the time for plunder finally arrived. For the strong, the weak were lambs fattened for slaughter. For the weak, it was essential to evade the strong's hunt, then dedicate all their effort to finding opportunities to hunt other weaklings.

Everyone was a mortal enemy; every moment could determine life or death. A single successful hunt and the plundered Soul Orbs would drastically increase one's rank, while a single death would cause Soul Orbs to plummet by thirty percent, leading to a massive drop in rank.

From that day on, the preliminary battleground transformed into a cruel hunting purgatory. The exhilaration of each successful hunt, and the fury and humiliation of each instance of being hunted, intensely stimulated their blood and the bestial nature buried within it. More and more profound practitioners turned into beasts, and the preliminary arena became a cruel battlefield for predators.

The preliminary rankings also lost their initial tranquility, with almost every moment bringing earth-shattering changes. By the fifteenth, twentieth, and twenty-fifth days, in the later stages of the preliminary battles, the battlefield grew more brutal with each passing moment.

On the Star Monument, the rankings of those being watched caused the hearts of countless profound practitioners to fluctuate between hope and despair. Many practically stood guard before the Star Monument day and night, not daring to leave. For example, Huo Rulie, who initially checked a few times a day, began personally checking the Star Monument almost every hour or two in the final days. Even though Huo Poyun's rank never disappointed him, his heart still felt as if it were suspended by a thin thread over a bottomless abyss, unable to rest for a moment.

If there was one stable aspect of this Profound God Convention, it was the top four in the overall rankings. Luo Changsheng, Shui Yingyue, Jun Xilei, and Lu Lengchuan... From beginning to end, these four occupied the top four positions. None of the other fifty million profound practitioners from the Eastern Divine Region could usurp their spots. Luo Changsheng, in particular. While the names in second to fourth place often changed, only Luo Changsheng consistently held the top spot, unshakable.

Besides Luo Changsheng, two other individuals also had remarkably stable rankings. Not only were their ranks extremely stable, but their Soul Orb counts were also rock-solid, unwavering. These were Yun Che and Xiao Mo. Coincidentally, these two unusual individuals were both assigned to the Ninth Battlefield.

Time slowly flowed by, and the month-long brutal preliminary battles finally drew to a close.

"This is the last day, isn't it?"

Xiao Mo leaned lazily in a corner, chewing on a piece of dry grass he'd picked up from who knows where.

"Indeed, it should be over in a few more hours," Yun Che said, nodding with a calm expression. But his heart was already stirring... Finally, in just a few more hours, he could leave the battlefield and step into the dreamland he had fought for three years.

"Phew!" Xiao Mo let out a long breath. "Good thing you were here, or I would've died of boredom this whole month. I should've brought my handheld console."

Yun Che: "..."

Although he had never stepped onto the battlefield himself, and didn't even know what the outside looked like, Yun Che could still perceive that the battle was growing fiercer day by day. This was because more and more white lights, representing resurrected individuals, were being sent back to the main city. Especially on this final day, which would determine the ultimate rankings, large numbers of white lights flashed above the main city every moment, and various hoarse roars hardly ever ceased.

"Heh, I can't wait to get eliminated so I can wander around the God Realm of Absolute Beginning," Xiao Mo said with a look of longing. "Hahaha, a King Realm! Before, I only heard about it in legends; it felt like an unreachable heavenly palace. I never thought I'd personally set foot here one day. It's not for nothing that I've stayed in the God Realm for so many years."

"Over fifty million people will be eliminated and suddenly flood into the God Realm of Absolute Beginning," Yun Che said. "There will definitely be restrictions. I'm afraid the areas we can move around in will be very limited."

"That's fine," Xiao Mo said with a grin. "Even just breathing in some of the immortal energy from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning would be good. Then I can go back and brag to my wife about it. Oh, by the way, Brother Yun, I keep forgetting to ask, have you gotten married? You're not... still a virgin, are you?"

"...I got married when I was sixteen." As Xia Qingyue's figure flashed through his mind, Yun Che's heart stirred.

It had been eight full years since he lost contact with her. Where could she be?

"Oh, that early!" Xiao Mo's eyes widened, then he muttered, "Where I come from, sixteen is still far from the legal marriage age."

"So, how many wives do you have?"

"...Three," Yun Che answered rather calmly. Xia Qingyue, Cang Yue, and Huan Caiyi... three wives he had already married.

As for those not yet married...

"Damn! What an animal!" Xiao Mo sprang to his feet, crying out with a mix of envy and jealousy. "This is the most enviable thing about your God Realm! You can actually have multiple wives! Why can we only have one where I'm from? Argh! You look so frigid, yet you're a carnivore-type beast after all!"

Yun Che: "..."

"Huh? Wait a minute! You're clearly not from the God Realm!" Xiao Mo cried out, feeling even more unbalanced. "Damn it! Why are they all planets, yet the difference is so huge!"

"With your profound cultivation, you'd be considered a god beyond the mortal world on your home planet," Yun Che said dismissively. "Surely these worldly rules can't bind you."

"No, no, no! You don't understand," Xiao Mo said, his voice suddenly dropping as he cautiously glanced around. He then leaned closer to Yun Che, whispering fearfully, "Where I'm from, there are things far scarier than worldly rules. You have no idea how terrifying the women on our planet are. Especially my wife. Forget about having multiple wives; if I so much as glance at another beautiful woman... *hiss*!"

At this, Xiao Mo's body trembled violently.

"Oh, I understand, I understand," Yun Che immediately nodded, thinking to himself: *So he's henpecked. What does that have to do with which planet or plane he's from?*

"After I'm done exploring the God Realm of Absolute Beginning this time, I should head back to Earth," Xiao Mo said, hands clasped behind his head. "From the looks of it, my wife probably won't let me out again once I'm back. Brother Yun, even though you don't talk much, we actually get along quite well. I've always felt like you have something heavy on your mind. Would you like to talk about it? Maybe I can help with something."

Yun Che shook his head and smiled faintly. "No need. I don't think anyone can help me. But I appreciate your kindness."

"Alright," Xiao Mo said, not pressing further. He checked the time and added, "Let's check the rankings. It's almost over now. I doubt there will be many significant changes in this last bit of time. The current rankings should be the final ones."

Xiao Mo waved his hands, and a familiar light screen appeared before them.

Luo Changsheng: Origin: Saint Universe Realm, Soul Orbs: 11,948,053, Battlefield Rank: 1, Overall Rank: 1.

Xiao Mo's eyes widened. He froze for a moment, then let out a shout: "M-m-m-m-m-me... Damn it! Over ten million! Over ten million Soul Orbs!"

"This Young Master Changsheng is practically a god... Oh, no, no, he's a freak, a monster!"

Luo Changsheng was not only first on the overall ranking list, but also the only person on the entire list with over ten million Soul Orbs. That Soul Orb count, a digit higher than anyone else's, was like a supreme monarch surveying the world, proudly looking down on all beings from above the heavens. Without a doubt, throughout the entire Eastern Divine Region, even those who were ignorant and had never heard of the "Four God Children of the East" would now know the name "Luo Changsheng." For someone like Luo Changsheng, everyone in his battlefield was prey to be freely slaughtered. Over ten million Soul Orbs—who knew how many deaths of prey it represented? And if it weren't for the rule that one could kill the same person multiple times but only plunder their Soul Orbs once, this number would be even more astonishing.

Below Luo Changsheng, Shui Yingyue, Jun Xilei, and Lu Lengchuan still firmly occupied the second to fourth positions. Compared to Luo Changsheng's singular dominance, their Soul Orbs were not far apart, all exceeding nine million.

"It seems the top spot in this Profound God Convention will be Luo Changsheng's," Yun Che said.

"Not 'should be,' but 'definitely will be'!" Xiao Mo emphasized.

At this moment, Yun Che suddenly thought of the enigmatic girl in the black dress... A fifteen-year-old in the Divine Spirit Realm, she had left Huo Poyun utterly speechless. If she weren't too young and were the same age as Luo Changsheng, she would surely surpass him.

He wondered what her rank would be. But she was ultimately too young, and only in the early stage of the Divine Spirit profound realm... she probably couldn't pass this first round of preliminaries, could she?

"Oh, right, can you help me check someone's ranking?" Yun Che suddenly asked. "Huo Poyun from the Blazing Heaven Realm."

"Oh! The Blazing Heaven Realm, I've heard of that," Xiao Mo said curiously. "But I haven't heard of Huo Poyun. Is he someone you know?"

"He's a friend of mine," Yun Che nodded. "My current Snow Song Realm is adjacent to the Blazing Heaven Realm, so we became acquainted."

"I see. Let me check."

Xiao Mo's mind stirred, and Huo Poyun's name immediately appeared on the light screen:

Huo Poyun: Origin: Blazing Heaven Realm, Soul Orbs: 4,994,033, Battlefield Rank: 1, Overall Rank: 71.

"M-m-m-m... My goodness! S-seventy-first?" Xiao Mo was startled. It took him a good while to react, then he said with a mix of surprise and doubt: "He's actually that powerful? No... that's not right! I remember the Blazing Heaven Realm is a Middle Star Realm; how could such a powerful person come from there?"

"Do you really know him? Is he really your friend?"

It wasn't just Xiao Mo who was surprised; Yun Che was even more so, and he sighed to himself: "Seventy-first. I doubt the Blazing Heaven Realm itself could have predicted this ranking. It seems Huo Poyun was completely underestimated. His entry into the top thousand is now beyond doubt."

He could already imagine the level of joyous excitement the Blazing Heaven Realm would feel about Huo Poyun's ranking... Especially Huo Rulie, who had previously told him he wasn't entirely confident; now he was probably grinning so widely his teeth would fall out.

"Congratulations, Brother Poyun," Yun Che said sincerely, looking up without answering Xiao Mo.

*You have achieved your wish, and I, too... will definitely see Jasmine.*

Seeing Yun Che's delighted expression, Xiao Mo knew that he and Huo Poyun must indeed have a deep friendship. He immediately felt a little sour. "Your profound strength is so weak, yet you have such a powerful backer by your side! Tsk tsk... And three wives! How enviable!"

Yun Che merely smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

*A powerful backer? His true powerful backer is his master! Even stronger than Huo Poyun.*

*Hmm... roughly equivalent to tens of billions of Huo Poyuns.*

Huo Poyun's astonishing achievements significantly eased Yun Che's mood. After all, in the God Realm, Huo Poyun was the only one he could truly call a friend.

"Ah, forget it. You're secretly formidable, a winner in life. Can't compare, can't compare," Xiao Mo mumbled for a while. Then he waved his hand, "Let's check the rankings for our own battlefield, while we're at it. The first place, no need to think, must be that Wu Guike... Huh... Damn! S-sixteenth?!"

Xiao Mo's renewed exclamation made Yun Che look over:

Wu Guike: Origin: Divine Martial Realm, Soul Orbs: 6,489,672, Battlefield Rank: 1, Overall Rank: 16.

Wu Guike, with over six million Soul Orbs, ranked sixteenth on the overall preliminary list!

Wu Guike's strength repeatedly exceeded Yun Che's expectations.

"It seems the Divine Martial Realm is going to make a big splash this time," Xiao Mo said.

No sooner had he spoken than the sky suddenly surged with energy. Then, the Voice of the Cosmic Heaven, resonating across all battlefields, boomed through the air:

"Young strong ones, there is only one hour left until the end of the first round of preliminaries!"

"Ha! It's finally ending," Xiao Mo chuckled, growing excited at the thought of soon entering the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

"Only the top ten ranked individuals from each battlefield will be allowed to enter the second round of preliminary battles. All other profound practitioners will be eliminated; their projections will be removed from the Cosmic Heaven Battlefield, and their true bodies will be directly expelled from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, never to step foot there again... Pour out all your profound energy and will without reservation in this final hour, and determine your ultimate rankings and fates."

"Huh? Expelled from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning?" Xiao Mo froze, then indignantly cried out, "Damn it, why is it like this?! It's one thing not to enter the Heaven Smiting Pearl, but they won't even let us enter the God Realm of Absolute Beginning itself! Why didn't they say so earlier, damn it? If I had known, I wouldn't have come! Such a huge God Realm of Absolute Beginning is so stingy! Brother Yun, don't you think so... Brother Yun?"

As Xiao Mo ranted indignantly, he suddenly noticed that Yun Che was motionless and silent... And his back was trembling, growing more and more violent, his tightly clenched knuckles stark white.