Chapter 748: Ultimate Rankings

Many people couldn't help but laugh upon hearing about Juntuo's complaint. What immense resentment this demigod beast must have harbored, to actually cause such a commotion at the Celebrity Protection Association, vehemently demanding punishment for the culprits and the restoration of his reputation.

"Please calm your anger, Ancient Saint Juntuo," someone tried to smooth things over. "I don't think this is a bad thing at all. On the contrary, it's making your name even more widely known throughout the starry seas."

Otherwise, who would dare to actually go to Earth to hunt down villains? What kind of place is that now? Even the most powerful beings, capable of illuminating the heavens, would enter and never return!

"Can you speak human language? What are you saying? Are you trying to infuriate this old man to death?" Juntuo slammed the table, chaotic energy surging around him, spraying the person with so much spittle that their face was covered.

Fortunately, Gu Sanming, the Vice President of the Celebrity Protection Association, was also a Saint; otherwise, he would surely have been shattered and killed by that powerful energy.

"Fellow Daoist Juntuo," he continued, "you should look on the bright side; one cannot be too pessimistic. Consider this: even though you are not active in the world, your name is still widely circulated. Do you know what that is? Fame, popularity, wealth! What is most valuable right now? It's precisely what you possess. Haven't you seen those cosmic pop stars and beautiful celebrities? They constantly travel around, creating all sorts of trending topics. What are they seeking? To attract attention, gain popularity, and thus acquire enduring fame and wealth. With these, they can prosper indefinitely. So, my fellow Daoist, do not be resentful. From a different perspective, this world is truly wonderful."

After listening, Juntuo was so enraged he almost vomited blood.

He was the one who had suffered injustice and came here to complain, yet he ended up being force-fed a spicy bowl of spiritual chicken soup.

His chest heaved as he gasped for breath, glaring at Gu Sanming and desperately wanting to give him a taste of his ancestral "turtle-fist" technique!

Finally, Ancient Saint Juntuo stormed off in a rage. He couldn't stay in this place; everyone was just trying to smooth things over, and no one was getting things done. He was so angry he wanted to blast away the bronze plaque outside the Celebrity Protection Association's main hall.

"Lord Juntuo!"

Not far from the main hall of the Celebrity Protection Association, someone enthusiastically approached him, pulling him aside to discuss business.

"What do you mean?" Juntuo asked, highly alert.

"Our Kaiyuan Weapon Pavilion would like to partner with you and release a 'Juntuo Brand Ancient Shield' under your name. What do you think? Hey, don't hit me! Even if the deal doesn't go through, goodwill remains. We've prepared a set of Saint-level shields as compensation for you! Ah! He's killing me! Help! Juntuo is killing someone!"

Saint Juntuo's face turned ashen. He chased that Half-Saint across half a planet, only stopping due to apprehension about the other party's background.

What kind of situation was this? He was seething with rage.

"Fellow Daoist," said Gu Sanming, "you see? Where there's popularity, there's wealth. Even though you are not active in the world, your name is still widely circulated. From a different perspective, this world is truly wonderful."

As Gu Sanming, the Vice President of the Celebrity Protection Association, saw Juntuo off and watched him enter the wormhole, he emphasized this point again, waving at him.

Juntuo was so enraged he almost turned back to fight him to the death.

After this video was filmed and uploaded, countless people across the starry sky didn't know whether to laugh or cry; some mourned for Ancient Saint Juntuo, while others were envious.

At this moment, a startling piece of news spread rapidly: the ancestral city of the Deities had suffered an attack. Ultimate weapons slammed into it, causing the city walls to crack and threaten to explode.

At this moment, it went without saying that people immediately guessed someone from the Top Ten powers was making a move to seize the Deity Breathing Technique.

It must be said, the ancestral city of that race was incredibly sturdy. It had consumed countless natural treasures and rare materials to form a truly immortal city, capable of withstanding attacks from Illuminator-level experts.

On this day, the Deities successively suffered attacks from at least four powerful races, and one section of the city wall finally collapsed!

"Is Heaven trying to destroy our Deity race?!" an elder of the race roared in fury, gazing up at the sky in utter despair.

Now, the ancestral city had begun to crack, with only one last complete protective light barrier remaining. It was formed from energy runes, safeguarding the central area of the ancestral city.

This area was the ancestral worship ground!

Now, everyone had retreated to this place, but it wouldn't last long; this area was certain to be breached as well.

Boom!

The city gate tower of the ancestral city exploded. The walls, built from natural treasures and rare materials, could not withstand the continuous bombardment from ultimate weapons and constantly disintegrated.

At this moment, four powerful races, each wearing masks of vengeful spirits, gods, demons, and angels, charged in, each occupying a different area.

"Hand over the Deity Breathing Technique!" a muffled-voiced man demanded, ordering the Deities to surrender.

"Ancestors, divine beings of the Primordial Deity Palace, do you know what is happening here? Please come and save your descendants!"

A group of elders, disheveled and covered in blood, gazed at the heavens, each filled with immense grief and indignation.

"You butchers!" someone cried out, glaring furiously at the invaders.

A man wearing an angel mask sneered, saying, "When your Deity race attacked ancient Earth and slaughtered hundreds of other races, wasn't it the same? Can't you handle it when the tables are turned?"

He struck, unleashing a punch forward that caused the light barrier to ripple violently, on the verge of exploding.

From the cosmos, a brilliant silver divine stele streaked forth, transforming into a breathtaking rainbow. It was incredibly fast, seemingly leaving fragments of time in its wake, before ultimately entering the planet and landing in the ancestral city.

With a loud boom, the silver divine stele landed, suppressing the area.

At the same time, a decree emerged from the silver divine stele, floating upwards. It was written in the most ancient cosmic divine language, concise and to the point, its meaning exceedingly clear and simple.

The decree stated that upon seeing it, no one was permitted to destroy the Deity race or attack this place. Otherwise, the Primordial Deity Palace in the Chaos would dispatch troops to annihilate the race of the aggressors and bathe their homeworld in blood!

The words were few, but the gist was clear and extremely forceful. It warned all races that anyone daring to destroy the ancestral city of the Deities would inevitably pay a bloody price and face the annihilation of their entire race!

"Ancestors, most supreme divine beings, you have finally manifested!" cried one. "Your incompetent descendants kneel here to welcome your decree."

The Deities, witnessing this scene amidst their despair, cheered. Many elders wept tears of joy, leading their clansmen in prostration.

"Ancestors, why do you not descend yourselves?" an elder of the Deities cried, kneeling. "Many are now violating the Deities' dignity and seeking to destroy this place. You should raise your hand and suppress them!"

An elder of the Deities wept, kneeling there, desperately wishing the divine beings of the Primordial Deity Palace would descend immediately to sweep away all opponents in this starry sky.

Not far away, the experts from the several races who had breached the ancestral city of the Deities now revealed solemn expressions. Facing the Primordial Deity Palace in the Chaos, they were indeed apprehensive and dared not make any rash moves.

However, upon hearing the elder's words, someone immediately sneered, saying, "Do you think only your race has the Primordial Deity Palace backing it? Haven't you heard of Amitabha Temple, the Primordial God-Demon Palace, or the Immortal Banished Cave, among other supreme pure lands in the Chaos? If we truly fight to the bitter end, it's not certain who will be annihilated!"

The implication was that they also had powerful backing and confidence!

However, ultimately, these individuals retreated without completely annihilating the Deity race, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation and widespread bloodshed.

This attack resulted in many more casualties for the Deities, who perished as the city walls and gate tower exploded, leaving bloodstains everywhere.

"How hateful..." several old monsters of the Deities wailed, their eyes bloodshot. "To think our Deity race, renowned across the heavens, with the universe's four seas subservient, and no one daring to disrespect us—it's unimaginable that today we were almost annihilated. What a disgrace, a monumental humiliation!" Seventy percent of their Saints had died, with few remaining, and the same was true for their elite disciples. It was truly horrific!

Finally, the great war concluded, and the universe returned to tranquility.

The truth also spread to the outside world, striking awe into all parties. Even a power as formidable as the Deities had nearly been wiped out, leading everyone to feel insecure.

The cosmos is this realistic and this cruel. Once a race falls behind, it can become the prey of a stronger race, hunted and annihilated!

At this point, the rating agencies under the Tongtian Wormhole Company and the Blackblood Colosseum released their final rankings. The rankings of almost all stellar territories had changed.

This was due to nothing else but the rapid surge in the ranking of a certain life-bearing planet, which pushed numerous races down. Originally, they were beyond the 100,000th rank, nowhere to be found, arguably even unranked.

"We solemnly announce that Earth ranks among the cosmic starry seas..." The Tongtian Wormhole Company and the Blackblood Colosseum reached a consensus, jointly revising and publishing the results.

"Tenth place!"

As soon as this ranking was released, even with prior psychological preparation, all races were shocked. This speed of ascent was too extraordinary, unprecedented in history.

From beyond the 100,000th rank, it suddenly leaped to tenth place. Within a single day, its ranking changed several times: first into the top fifty, then the top twenty, and now, in one fell swoop, it entered the top ten.

This... was world-shattering!

Most importantly, the Top Ten, which had remained unchanged for ages, had been altered and replaced!

"If Earth had not ultimately accepted only a small number of Saints, its ranking might have advanced even further," the Blackblood platform added, making this remarkable statement.

In response, the Tongtian Wormhole Company reserved its comments and offered no opinion.

The Saint Teacher was discerning and dared not keep the Saints from the cosmic black market on Earth, choosing only a small number of those who had escaped the cosmic black prison.

These individuals were tough characters. While the Saint Teacher was present on Earth, it was fine, but if he were to leave, it would be disastrous if these individuals remained and harmed Earth. Such people were all unruly and difficult to discipline.

Rather than that, it was better to maintain a certain distance and form a cooperative relationship.

"What about the Deities?" people wondered. "And the Nether race, the Spirit race, the Machine race... what are their rankings?"

People were eager to know. As for Earth, there was no longer any suspense; people had already guessed its position. They were more curious to know how far the original major powers had fallen.

"The Xilin race ranks... five hundred and first!"

The Tongtian Wormhole Company announced the Xilin race's ranking, which was indeed a sharp decline. This race directly fell out of the top five hundred, showing signs of significant decline.

If it weren't for Wei Heng, the ninth strongest under the starry sky, propping them up, this race's ranking would be even lower!

"The Machine race ranks one hundredth!"

When the Machine race's ranking was revealed, there was an uproar. Their Mechanical Vajra had died in battle, yet their ranking hadn't changed much; it had even risen by a few places?

Previously, the Machine race could only be considered a quasi-top hundred power, usually ranking just over one hundred and not within the top hundred.

"This time, although the Machine race suffered heavy losses, it confirmed one thing: their mythical figure, the Original Vajra, is still alive and in the world," the rating agency explained. "This was once an ancient and extremely powerful being; as long as he is alive, this race cannot fall out of the top hundred!"

Furthermore, they elaborated, saying, "If parts of the Original Vajra's body had not decayed, its ranking would be frighteningly high!"

They received unconfirmed reports that the Original Vajra divided his body into five parts, hiding them in the five great motherlodes of cosmic metal, awaiting rebirth. If successful, it would be terrifyingly powerful!

"The Nether race ranks forty-ninth!" The Tongtian Wormhole Company announced the Nether race's ranking, which also astonished people. This race was indeed powerful; despite losing a giant and a bone dragon, it still managed such a high ranking.

"Even though the race was subjected to a bloodbath," the agency explained, "they still have an ancient ancestor who revealed signs of life on that day, confirming their continued existence. Therefore, they still possess terrifying competitiveness!"

"The Spirit race ranks fifty-fourth!" This ranking was a significant drop, but it still drew attention, and no one doubted it.

It was confirmed that the Spirit race's ancient being, who once wielded the God-Slaying Blood Banner and wreaked havoc across the starry seas, was still alive. They were recuperating in an unknown location deep within the cosmos; as long as they existed, the race would not decline.

"The Deity race ranks... two hundred and fifty-first!"

Finally, the Deity race's ranking was also announced. The race had plummeted, dropping directly from the top ten to over two hundred.

People were in an uproar, but they could also understand.

The reason was simple: in this battle, all of the Deity race's Illuminator-level experts were annihilated, not a single one remaining. Furthermore, the race's ultimate weapons had flown away, their whereabouts unknown.

The fact that they could still rank so highly was only because they possessed the Deity Breathing Technique; given time, there was still hope for their resurgence!

"Of course, we did not factor in the Primordial Deity Palace in the Chaos; otherwise, the situation would be terrifying," the Tongtian Wormhole Company added.

The cosmos buzzed with activity as a new power dynamic formed. Earth's rise was so rapid it defied belief, instantly returning to the top ten!

If this development continued, they could still improve, and their ranking would advance further!

The next day, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the starry seas, causing countless people from various races to go wild.

Especially the Illuminator-level experts, almost all of them set out to rush into the Chaos and venture into that broken cosmos!