Chapter 392

Chapter 392: Life-Taking Talisman

"Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings…"

Within Linglong City, Li Ruoyu sat by the window of a tavern. His gaze passed through the lattice and fixed upon an arcane, mysterious Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings suspended in the void. His eyes were deep as an abyss.

"Master, is the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion truly that powerful?" asked Chaotic Immortal King, disbelief coloring his tone. "Can he really calculate the power of the top cultivators across all realms, all while remaining inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

"Those words you just spoke likely still reached his ears," Li Ruoyu stated calmly.

"…"

Chaotic Immortal King immediately covered his mouth with both hands.

"Where might my own name stand upon this golden list?" Li Ruoyu murmured, his voice echoing faintly. He had already vanished from his seat and reappeared before the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings.

Li Ruoyu retrieved his Level Two Supreme Lord Card and swept it across the magnificent surface of the Golden List.

In the next breath, his consciousness was tugged by a mysterious force, soaring into the Golden List’s interior. Within this cosmic record, streams of Dao light flowed freely, forming an entirely separate world teeming with magnificent phenomena.

Upon a towering Divine Mountain, numerous names were engraved.

"Teacher…"

Li Ruoyu’s gaze locked onto one name upon the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings. His pupils constricted violently, his face undergoing a great change. He saw the name of the human ancestor etched onto the list—moreover, it held the position of number one on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings.

"He hasn’t perished…" Li Ruoyu murmured, his expression twisting into something infinitely complex.

Truthfully, suspicions about the human ancestor’s fate had long lurked within Li Ruoyu’s mind.

The Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo left behind by Nuwa within the Haotian Realm plainly existed to aid the human ancestor in facing a tribulation and saving the world. Given that, how could such preparations allow the human ancestor to fall easily?

"He is nearing success," Li Ruoyu uttered, a strange expression flickering across his face—like a smile, yet like suppressed tears.

The human ancestor saved multitudes from suffering, garnering boundless merits. Though his physical body and primordial spirit were shattered, he did not perish. Instead, he emerged from destruction fundamentally transformed and immeasurably mightier.

"Half-Step Beyond Mortal Bounds…"

This simple phrase seared itself into Li Ruoyu’s heart like a brand.

He understood: the human ancestor possessed the potential to truly transcend entirely, propelled by that immeasurable accumulation of merit.

Li Ruoyu’s eyes drifted, taking in each name upon the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings one by one. Gradually, his expression settled into indifference. Setting aside the existence of the human ancestor, which had delivered a jolt of surprise, Ye Xu’s Golden List offered Li Ruoyu no further revelations.

"The unveiling of this Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings will plunge the world once more into fevered chaos," Li Ruoyu stated quietly. Step by step, he faded from the street corner, receding into anonymity.

…

Purple Star Heavenly Court.

Since the collapse of the Immortal Realm, the Purple Star Heavenly Court had descended to govern the lower realms, establishing its seat in the Eastern region of the Yuan Realm. As the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings emerged, the Heaven Son sensed it first.

Qin Yu and numerous semi-Immortal Emperor-ranked heavenly officers also became aware of it.

"Your Majesty, Heaven’s Secret Pavilion has issued a Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings," one semi-Immortal Emperor reported solemnly, his face etched with gravity. "Rumors claim all names are listed—beginning with you, Your Majesty, followed by the Heavenly Emperor, and including all Immortal Emperors."

"We are aware," replied the Heaven Son, his gaze sharp as polished steel.

"Your Majesty," Qin Yu interjected, his voice grave, "if the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion possesses the capability to formulate such a ranking and earn the world’s acceptance, its credibility cannot be questioned. Should adversaries seek to challenge us, they could now utilize the intelligence gathered from this list to prepare targeted assaults."

At these words, expressions of shock broke across the faces of the assembled heavenly officers. They had not yet considered such a terrifying implication.

The Tianzi showed an expression of admiration. Qin Yu’s intelligence was one of the reasons he valued him highly.

"You’ve done well to recognize this," The Tianzi said lightly. "The Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings identifies the top one hundred supreme experts throughout the Pangu universe. If anyone wishes to act against me, they will undoubtedly seek to exploit the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and spend considerably to persuade its master to remove all cultivators of the Purple Star Heavenly Court from the unparalleled rankings," Qin Yu proclaimed solemnly.

"The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion acts in unfathomable ways. Once the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings has been issued, it will be difficult to revoke," the Tianzi murmured, a trace of fear flickering within him.

Since inheriting the Heavenly Dao, the Tianzi had calculated and strategized, confident that everything under heaven lay within his grasp.

But ever since the descent of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion into the world, the Tianzi could no longer see through its workings. The emergence of this Golden List made him feel a distinct sense of threat.

"I am willing to try," Qin Yu stated firmly.

"Go then," the Tianzi waved his sleeve. "Do not force the matter."

"This subject understands." Qin Yu bowed and took his leave, flying towards Linglong City.

…

Everlasting City of Desolation.

Lin Qianmo gazed distantly at the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings, a sweet smile blooming on her face as she gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It seems the Master believes the flames burning in this universe are not fierce enough. He intends to add more fuel to the fire."

"This person is utterly mysterious, impossible to grasp," the Reincarnation Ancient God remarked. "Yet, this very list truly serves as a powerful catalyst."

"In the future, when seeking lives, we can pinpoint targets directly," Xuanxin said, his eyes profoundly deep.

Perhaps, for the ordinary cultivators across all realms, the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings was merely a spectacle. But for those whose names it bore, it was nothing short of a life-taking talisman.

Amidst the chaos, Heaven’s Secret Pavilion shone like a beacon. A neutral entity focused solely on business and removed from worldly conflicts, it conducted trade with any party. Decisions to kill or save rested on a single whimsical thought.

"The one who should truly be troubled… is the Tianzi," Lin Qianmo stated. "This universe is about to be swept up in another great change."

The Reincarnation Ancient God wore an expression of sorrow and compassion; he understood the full weight of her words.

Xuanxin looked somewhat puzzled, but he trusted Lin Qianmo’s words implicitly, one hundred percent.

…

"DAMNATION!"

Within the Origin Dao venue, the Ancient God of Origin roared in fury.

"The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is far too domineering! He lists our strength on that list without our consent! It’s as if he’s placed us directly in the crosshairs!"

"Daoist friend, calm your anger."

Yuanzu had a calm expression, "The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion possesses this level of strength; your anger is useless."

"Daoist brother, this Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings is a life-taking talisman; are you not afraid?" Si Ming was also angered, her exquisite brows and eyes filled with resentment.

"Is fear useful?"

Yuanzu said, "Now, it’s not only us who fear."

"Moreover, wanting to kill a top expert of Three Yuan Proof, even knowing their weaknesses and flaws, isn’t that easy."

"The least worried shouldn’t be us."

"It should be the Son of Heaven."

Yuanzu’s gaze was sinister, "The Son of Heaven carries the heavenly way; his wings are now full, long since becoming arrogant, forgetting we once overthrew the Ancient Heavenly Court with him. He’s sharpening knives fiercely, wanting to purge us."

"However, he has many enemies."

The Ancient God of Origin’s expression shifted, looking at Yuanzu with shock, "Daoist brother, are you thinking…?"

Yuanzu nodded.

"From Nuwa repairing the heavens, the heavenly way was perfected step by step; who dares to say it has no selfish motives?"

"If the heavenly way were selfless, there’d be no Son of Heaven!"

"That makes sense."

The Ancient God of Origin nodded and said. Carrying the heavenly way, without its permission, with Emperor Yang’s initial cultivation, even though he grasped its patterns, it was impossible for him to bear it easily.

In that process, there must have been the heavenly way’s aiding and abetting.

"The world the heavenly way wants is inevitably different from the world we desire." Yuanzu’s eyes were wise, "In my opinion, now is a rare opportunity to kill the Son of Heaven and suppress the Purple Star Heavenly Court."

"What does that mean?" Si Ming frowned her beautiful brows.

"With enemies surounding outside and remnants causing trouble within, relying on the heavenly way, the Son of Heaven might still hold on." Yuanzu cackled weirdly, "But fellow Daoists, have you ever thought why the Son of Heaven is so confident?"

"The heavenly way is supremely strong."

The Ancient God of Origin and Si Ming spoke in unison. The heavenly way of any universe inevitably underwent repeated tempering to reach its peak.

For cultivators trying to defy heaven, there was almost no possibility.

Because the heavenly way was too strong.

As long as one was in the Pangu universe, one would be constrained by it; even as powerful as a Heavenly Emperor, one couldn’t win against it, only forming a stalemate with the Son of Heaven.

"Correct."

Yuanzu sneered, "But the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion can help us."

"In the Primordial Era, there were no rules or order; that was the world belonging to us Innate Divine Beings. Fellow Daoists, you surely don’t want someone pressing down on your heads."

"This Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings is a life-taking talisman for the Son of Heaven, Purple Star Heavenly Court, and even the heavenly way."

"Hahaha…"

The Ancient God of Origin’s eyes radiated cold light, "That makes sense!"

As long as the heavenly way existed, it wouldn’t let people easily transcend the Pangu universe.

After all, once transcended, it meant freeing oneself from its constraints, surpassing it.

Therefore,

to transcend, first slay the heavenly way.

This principle was almost a consensus among all Three Yuan Proof experts.

In the past, no one saw the hope of killing the heavenly way because they couldn’t find its flaws.

But the birth of the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings let them see the hope of freeing themselves from its constraints.