Chapter 430: Schedule Changes

The time for the ranking battle had arrived, yet the seats reserved for the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds remained vacant. Instead of announcing the start of the battle, Feng Hengkong gazed upwards. While he could choose not to wait for the other three Sacred Grounds if they were late, he absolutely had to wait for the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds.

Feng Hengkong did not have to wait long. A serene, aged voice drifted down from high above.

“Alas… I, Gu, am late due to certain matters. I apologize deeply for keeping you all waiting.”

The voice was ethereal and lingering, as if it came from the heavens. Simultaneously, a peaceful yet vast aura descended from the sky, enveloping the entire arena. This incredibly profound aura immediately evoked images of oceans, starry skies, and deep abysses—boundless and immense.

“Emperor!” Jasmine’s voice, tinged with surprise, echoed in Yun Che’s mind.

Yun Che’s spirit instantly trembled.

An Emperor?! The person who arrived was an Emperor?!

It was already highly unusual for a Sacred Ground to send merely a Young Palace Master… Why would they send an Emperor, of all people?!

On the Profound Sky Continent, the Divine Profound Realm was a mythical existence, rumored to be a dream realm unattainable by humans. The Sovereign Profound Realm represented the absolute pinnacle of this world, and an Emperor was the undisputed supreme monarch of the entire Profound Sky Continent. Furthermore, Emperors only existed within the Sacred Grounds and the Phoenix Divine Sect, and even in those places, they were exceedingly rare.

At this Seven Nations Ranking Battle, Yun Che’s eyes were truly opened. Although they shared the same continent, the Divine Phoenix Empire and the Blue Wind Nation were like two completely different worlds. In the Blue Wind Nation, the Monarch Profound Realm was an insurmountable limit, but here, Monarchs were commonplace, Overlords roamed freely, and now, an Emperor had even appeared!

At that moment, a figure slowly descended from the sky. It was an old man in a pale yellow robe, holding a whisk. With white hair and a white beard, he possessed an immortal demeanor and a gentle face, looking just like an enlightened immortal about to ascend.

When people from the other three Sacred Grounds arrived, Feng Hengkong had merely stood up to greet them. But this time, he directly left his seat and swiftly walked forward to greet the newcomer. Behind him, Feng Feiyan and the other elders also rose from their seats and followed.

Feng Hengkong quickly approached the old man and respectfully bowed, saying, “This junior, Feng Hengkong of the Phoenix Divine Sect, greets True Master Gu Cang.”

Among the Four Sacred Grounds, the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds held the highest esteem. The old man before them was an Elder Supreme within the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds, a figure whom even the Holy Emperor would defer to. Furthermore, the Phoenix Divine Sect had always maintained the closest relations with the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds. Though not explicitly obvious, the Phoenix Divine Sect had indeed always harbored intentions of aligning itself more closely with the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds.

True Master Gu Cang displayed none of the imposing authority or airs typical of a Sacred Ground Elder Supreme. He flicked his whisk, returned the bow, and chuckled, saying, “I, Gu, am truly at fault for being late due to certain circumstances. I hope Sect Master Feng will be magnanimous.”

Feng Hengkong replied, “True Master Gu Cang, please don’t say such things. Your personal presence here is a tremendous honor for my Phoenix Divine Sect… Oh? This junior recalls that True Master Gu Cang was supposed to bring a disciple along. Why…”

True Master Gu Cang chuckled faintly, “I, Gu, did indeed bring a disciple, intending for him to gain experience by witnessing the ranking battle and exploring the Primordial Profound Ark. However, he unexpectedly encountered an old acquaintance here in Divine Phoenix City and insisted that I, this old man, come alone. Hehehehe.”

“So that’s how it is,” Feng Hengkong replied. “To be accepted as a direct disciple by True Master Gu Cang, your disciple must possess extraordinary talent. True Master Gu Cang, please.” He then gestured towards the seats reserved for the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds.

As Gu Cang took his seat, Ling Kun, Ye Xinghan, and even Ji Qianrou all stood up. They solemnly and respectfully performed a junior’s bow. This action stirred Yun Che’s heart, offering a glimpse into True Master Gu Cang’s distinguished status within the Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds.

With all representatives from the Four Sacred Grounds present, the arena fell silent. The Seven Nations Ranking Battle was finally about to begin.

At a glance from Feng Hengkong, Phoenix Grand Elder Feng Feiyan soared into the air, flying to the center of the arena. A majestic and resonant phoenix cry erupted from him, followed by towering flames that burst forth, rising dozens of meters high from his body, capturing everyone’s unwavering attention.

Feng Feiyan surveyed the surroundings and announced loudly, “I am Feng Feiyan, Chief Elder of the Phoenix Divine Sect. It is an honor to meet all the heroes and young prodigies here. On behalf of the Phoenix Divine Sect, I thank all friends who have traveled far to attend Phoenix City. This is the 39th Seven Nations Ranking Battle of my Profound Sky Seven Nations, and I, Feng Feiyan, will preside over the entire event, with the esteemed guests from the Four Sacred Grounds as witnesses! The Seven Nations Ranking Battle, held every twenty-five years, is a profound energy competition for the young elites of my Profound Sky Seven Nations—a battle that shakes the Profound Sky and promotes national prestige…”

“Wow! The Grand Elder is actually presiding over it himself. Huh? Wait! Why is the Grand Elder presiding?” Feng Zhanyun exclaimed, clearly surprised. He evidently hadn’t known beforehand that the Grand Elder would personally oversee this ranking battle. Even if someone had told him, he probably wouldn’t have believed it, as in the past, the Seven Nations Ranking Battle had at most been presided over by a lower-ranking elder.

“Could there be something special about this ranking battle?” Feng Zhanyun whispered.

Apart from those of the Grand Elder generation and Princess Snow, Feng Feiyan’s status in the Phoenix Divine Sect was almost second only to Feng Hengkong. Even Crown Prince Feng Ximing had to be respectful in his presence. For him to personally preside over this Seven Nations Ranking Battle, even a few individuals from the Sacred Grounds showed slight surprise. The spectators in the seats held their breath, gazing at Feng Feiyan with reverence and admiration, his every word thundering in their ears.

Being personally presided over by the Grand Elder, as opposed to an ordinary elder or hall master, was a completely different concept. People vaguely sensed something unusual. Indeed, after Feng Feiyan finished his opening remarks, he suddenly raised his gaze and pointed upwards: “Everyone, look up! That’s right, the enormous shadow blotting out the sky above is the Primordial Profound Ark, which appears once every three hundred years and harbors unknown mysteries!”

“The Primordial Profound Ark has always appeared in the skies above my Divine Phoenix City, and historically, only my Divine Phoenix Empire has possessed the qualification to explore it. But this time, the Sect Master, with his broad mind, is willing to ascend the Primordial Profound Ark with friends from the six nations and share its secrets. In this ranking battle, the top three finishers will each be able to choose three individuals to explore the Primordial Profound Ark together.”

Although it was the top three finishers, everyone knew that first place would undoubtedly go to the Phoenix Divine Sect. Therefore, at most, only six individuals from two of the other six nations would have the fortune to board the Primordial Profound Ark.

“However,” Feng Feiyan suddenly changed his tone, saying, “Just a few days ago, my sect unexpectedly discovered that the profound seal at the main gate of the Primordial Profound Ark had loosened prematurely. This means the Ark’s main gate will open four days earlier than anticipated!”

“Hm?” Several individuals from the Sacred Grounds raised their eyebrows.

“Four days early? So, the Primordial Profound Ark will open tomorrow?” Ye Xinghan murmured.

“It must be… No wonder Feng Feiyan himself is presiding over this ranking battle. Something has indeed changed.” Ling Kun also whispered, “If I’m not mistaken, this ranking battle will have to conclude early.”

Feng Feiyan continued, “My sect originally decided to begin exploring the Primordial Profound Ark the day after the ranking battle concludes. However, this time, the Primordial Profound Ark will open prematurely tomorrow! The Primordial Profound Ark only opens for twelve hours each time. After a full three hundred years, we get these twelve hours, so not a single moment can be wasted! But my Phoenix Divine Sect stands by its word, firm as a mountain, and will never go back on it. Therefore, in order to jointly explore the Primordial Profound Ark tomorrow, the schedule for this ranking battle will inevitably be significantly compressed… The top three must be decided within today!”

As soon as Feng Feiyan’s words fell, the entire arena erupted in an uproar. They all clearly understood that the Primordial Profound Ark would open early… and simultaneously, this ranking battle would be compressed into a single day—to be completed today!

In previous ranking battles, the schedule always lasted at least five days, without exception. The competition among seventy top young powerhouses from the seven nations involved round-robin battles in each stage. Even with a five-day schedule, the arena was always packed, and extensions were frequent. A mere single day would be utterly impossible to complete it.

The expressions of the participants, as well as the emperors and overlords of various nations, changed drastically… The Seven Nations Ranking Battle was a national affair, and its ranking results determined a nation’s status and glory for the next twenty-five years. To prepare for this ranking battle, every nation had spent several years making full preparations, and the accumulated rare treasures of over two decades had been generously used in recent years… For the young participants, this ranking battle was their ultimate stage to prove themselves, the best opportunity to make a name for themselves across the world! If the original five-day schedule was indeed compressed into one day… their time to perform would undoubtedly be reduced by a full eighty percent!

How could they willingly accept such a drastic change?

The over three million spectators who had gone to great lengths to obtain admission tickets, originally expecting to enjoy five full days of peak battles, suddenly found it reduced to just one day. Naturally, they were extremely displeased.

“No wonder the Grand Elder is presiding over it personally,” Yun Che muttered to himself. “So, it’s to use the Grand Elder’s prestige to suppress any potential chaos. If the schedule is shortened to one day…” As he muttered this, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and a bad feeling arose in his heart.

The sudden uproar in the arena was well within the Phoenix Divine Sect’s expectations. Feng Feiyan’s expression remained unchanged, and his voice suddenly rose a few octaves: “Although the schedule has been forcibly shortened, please rest assured, this Seven Nations Battle will still be absolutely just and fair! In fact… it will be even more just and fair than the past dozens of sessions! It will determine the power ranking of my Profound Sky Seven Nations with even greater accuracy!”

Feng Feiyan’s words left everyone bewildered… The schedule being compressed from five days to one day would somehow make it *more* fair?

Feng Feiyan continued, “In past Seven Nations Ranking Battles, seventy young prodigies fought in rotating matches, competing round by round. The final ranking was determined by the highest rank achieved by a participant from a given nation. However, this ranking method emphasized the strength of a nation’s single most powerful profound practitioner. In reality, what best demonstrates a nation’s true strength should be the overall strength of its participants. Therefore, this year’s ranking battle will abolish individual combat and adopt team combat instead! In every ranking match, all profound practitioners from both opposing sides must participate!”

The arena immediately erupted in an unending clamor of discussion. Yun Che’s eyes widened as he stared at the stern-faced Feng Feiyan and cursed fiercely:

“What the hell?!”