When dawn broke, Lu Yun, Qing Han, and Ge Long left the Mo Clan manor.

“Do you trust them?” Qing Han asked Lu Yun with some puzzlement.

They’d been keeping their identities a secret for a reason: they had too many enemies in the world of immortals. However, Lu Yun had just plainly admitted his to the Mo Clan.

If the clan leaked the information, that, combined with Scarlet Ape coming to his rescue, would be a good enough reason for the top factions of the nine majors to attack Dusk Province. They’d annihilate the province with several blasts from weapons of war alone!

Lu Yun didn’t have a monopoly on weapons of war. All nine heavenly courts owned war treasures as well. The Aureate Court had refused to lend House Donglin theirs last time so as not to offend Lu Yun, but they would have no reason to refrain if Lu Yun involved himself with Scarlet Ape.

Allying himself with the ape after becoming head of the Star Demon Sect made him one step away from becoming the public enemy of the world, especially of the human race! After all, Scarlet Ape had driven humans out of the North Sea and shed tremendous waves of blood after establishing the sacred land for monster spirits.

“I don’t.” Lu Yun shook his head and turned up his hands in resignation. “But I don’t have a choice. The Mo Clan is my only way into the mystery.”

The Immortal Martial School where Wu Tulong was from, and the Zi Clan of Thundergale Major, would hardly believe his claims.

“Let’s consider what the third round of the Sovereign Meet will be like.” Lu Yun changed the subject.

The last round of battles would be commencing today, and they’d be coming face-to-face with the true opportunities provided by the Sovereign Ranking.

The ten lords had earned their titles not because of their strength, but their boastfulness. The real elites had avoided attracting attention through various means. A few of the ten had already been killed after returning to Destiny City, while the real powerhouses had continued keeping a low profile.

Whoosh!

A flash of violet dropped down from the sky and entered Lu Yun’s body. He seemed to hear... a belch.

“Did you... eat the sword?” Lu Yun transmitted after taking a deep breath.

“I did,” came Violetgrave’s satiated tones. “I don’t have to eat you now.”

Lu Yun’s expression darkened.

“I’m going to sleep now.” She yawned and spoke no more. 

Qing Han gave Lu Yun a worried look, to which he shook his head in response.

Another four hours passed after they returned to Jadeite Manor. When the sun rose in the southeast, the final round of the Sovereign Meet finally began.

The enormous Sovereign Ranking slowly unfurled, revealing 27,368 glowing names. These were the ones who’d remained in the second round of the competition and returned from the Sovereign World three days ago.

Hum!

A loud whir rumbled through the air. All of Destiny City was cast in violet-gold splendor as a giant arena of light slowly formed in midair. Life Glyphs flashed and brought all of the contestants to the arena of light.

“What’s going on? Aren’t I dead? How...” The Thunder Lord stared at his hands in disbelief. He’d been slain by a dao immortal, his soul exterminated. Yet here he was, alive and well, albeit only as the replica formed by his Life Glyph.

His wasn’t a unique case, either. Cultivators who’d died in Destiny City over the past three days, as long as they’d been to the Sovereign World, had all been brought back to life by the Sovereign Ranking.

Shock rippled across Destiny City as astonishment and incredulity flew thick and fast.

“They live only by virtue of their Life Glyphs, their true selves are still dead.” One of the origin dao immortals had seemingly seen through to the truth of their condition. In a low voice, he added, “These cultivators are entirely dependent on the Sovereign Ranking. Once something happens to the ranking, they will die again.”

“That’s not it!” exclaimed another origin dao immortal. “The body created by their Life Glyphs has become their real bodies! The Sovereign Ranking has given them a second life!”

From within Jadeite Manor, Scarlet Ape was observing the Sovereign Ranking through its iron rod.

“All lives are equal under the immortal dao,” it muttered. “The immortal dao truly doesn’t belong to only the human race anymore.”

Ge Long sat cross-legged beside Lu Yun and Qing Han, scowling at the iron rod like it was an enemy. At the same time, Empress Myrtlestar was present next to Qing Han as a hazy, violet figure. They weren’t there simply to protect Lu Yun and Qing Han, but also to keep an eye on Scarlet Ape.

Although Scarlet Ape had struck a deal with Lu Yun, there was no telling if the ill-tempered ape would go back on its promise and destroy Lu Yun and Qing Han’s physical bodies in a fit of fury.

Empress Myrtlestar had driven it away once before in the phoenix nest; it would have to think twice before making a move with her here.

……

Close to thirty thousand cultivators landed on the arena at the same time. Almost all of them had ascended to the void realm, and the most powerful had even reached peak returned void realm. The ten lords didn’t really stand out that much from the others.

The arena was vast, appearing to be a great continent with complicated terrain. Mountains and rivers crisscrossed all over it. It seemed empty, even with 27,368 contestants occupying the space.

The rules of the third round of the Sovereign Meet were finally announced: there were two stages to the last round of this gathering. The first stage was a round of elimination, until there were only thirty-six contestants left. That was the number of contestants that would be listed on the Sovereign Ranking.

Then, the thirty-six would fight to determine their ranking during the second stage.

…… 

“It looks like we’ve underestimated the geniuses of the world. I thought the ten lords were the greatest of the cultivators when they rose to power, but no, there are cultivators much more powerful than them!”

“Look, Qing Yu and Qing Yu’s Sidekick, the two humans who the monster ancestor of the North Sea protected, are still perceived void realm cultivators!”

“Qing Yu’s Sidekick was responsible for eliminating so many contestants and trapping the ten lords within a formation back in the Sovereign World. What a surprise that he’s still in the perceived void realm!”

“He’s talented, and a genius who’s been blessed by the Dao Flower. His cultivation shouldn’t be as low as it is.” Many didn’t believe what their eyes were telling them.

Numerous cultivators had ascended to higher realms in the Sovereign World, but a great number of them had only made breakthroughs after returning to Destiny City. The Ingress Path selected, and the Sovereign World nurtured. The last round of the Sovereign Meet was when the true competition began.

“No matter how much of a genius he is, there exists a great gap between the perceived void realm and the unravelled and returned void realms. He doesn’t stand a chance if he encounters cultivators of the higher realms!”

……

Rumble!

With a great shake, the arena scattered the cultivators across the land.

“As I expected, the supplemental paths aren’t accessible here. We can rely only on our own cultivation and strength!” Lu Yun tested things and found that he couldn’t use his talismans, formations, or even treasures. He only had his personal strength about him.

“Tsk, tsk, initial perceived void realm?” said a pleased voice. “It must be my lucky day, running into someone with such a low cultivation first!”

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