King of Creation
Chapter 377 - 373: Rewards of the Black Dragon Ranking

Chapter 377: Chapter 373: Rewards of the Black Dragon Ranking

All the fatigue, all the tension, had dissipated after a night’s rest, and the injuries suffered by martial artists during the bouts had also improved considerably.

As the morning sun just began to rise, the martial artists awakening from meditation turned their gazes in the direction of the Dragon Head Arena.

Today would be the time when the Black Dragon Ranking was announced.

Although most of the rankings were clear through the comparison of battle achievements, there was still a sense of immense anticipation until the Temporary Grand Deacon Qingyi of the Black Dragon Ancient Land made the announcement.

Or rather, what they were looking forward to were the rewards that would come after the Black Dragon Ranking was fixed; that was what truly captivated their hearts.

Those who were on the list eagerly awaited, and so did those who were not.

When the morning sun lavishly showered the entire Dragon Head Arena, Qingyi’s gaze shifted to the other eleven temporary stewards of the Black Dragon Ancient Land, and the twelve of them flew towards the space above the Dragon Head Arena as if by prior agreement.

"Emerge!"

In a low dragon roar, Black Dragon Tokens appeared behind the heads of all twelve individuals, emitting twelve rays of rosy light, converging from all directions to one point in the sky.

As the rosy light converged, the dragon roar that intimidated the soul rang out again, and a hundred-zhang long Rosy Clouds Dragon once again materialized in the sky.

The scattering light almost covered the entire Black Dragon Ancient Land, and all martial artists enveloped by the rosy light felt an inexplicable sense of reverence. No one spoke, no one moved; some even held their breath.

"Rise!"

Following Qingyi’s light shout, a light screen suddenly cast towards the twelve Dragon Head Arenas; the ground began to crack anew, and amidst the earth-shaking noises, the twelve Dragon Head Arenas once again vanished into the ground, as if they had never existed.

Many martial artists were stunned by this magical scene.

But the next moment, the thunderous noise rose again from the depths of the earth, and square stone platforms, each one meter across, rose from the flat ground.

Carved all over the black stone platforms were various dragon engravings; some with heads held high and issuing long dragon roars, others soaring above the Nine Heavens, and still others hidden in the depths of the ocean, but most noticeable on the black stone platforms were the numbers enveloped by the dragon carvings at the very front.

In the center of the black stone platforms, an ancient seal character for ’one’ was inscribed, presumably the ranking number for the Black Dragon Rankings, with the rest placed on either side in descending order.

However, the central stone platform marked with the seal of ’one’ was the tallest of all; the others were consecutively lower in height.

Martial artists who had participated in the Black Dragon Ranking knew that these were the Black Dragon Platforms of the Black Dragon Ranking, and only by standing on these platforms could the martial artists receive their corresponding rewards.

"I am Qingyi, serving as the Grand Deacon for this Black Dragon Ranking contest. I will now announce the rankings based on battle achievements. Those who hear their ranking may proceed to the respective Black Dragon Platform.

If there are any objections, you may raise them on the spot for discussion and resolution. However, if anyone causes unreasonable trouble, they will be expelled immediately and stripped of their ranking!"

"Ye Zhen from Black Water Kingdom, in the first round of battles, achieved eleven victories for a total score of twenty-two points, placing first and winning this Black Dragon Ranking contest....the first place!"

The last three words, Qingyi uttered somewhat heavily.

In the past, as long as the heirs of Tiannan Huaa Family didn’t appear, the first place of the Black Dragon Rankings nine times out of ten would belong to their Phantom Divine Sect. But this time, it had fallen into someone else’s hands, and they hadn’t even made it into the top three. To say it didn’t hurt would be a lie.

"First!"

"First place, our Ye Zhen from Qiyun Sect of Black Water Kingdom took first place!"

"How many years has it been!"

Even though they already knew, hearing Qingyi’s announcement, Jis Che, the Second Elder, and Zhongli Jing, the Seventh Elder – two old men whose combined ages surpassed one hundred and fifty years – were incomparably excited.

The two men looked at each other, their old hands covered in bulging veins and wrinkles, excitedly clasping together and trembling continuously, their eyes brimming with excitement.

If unrelated people saw this scene, they might even think there was a story between these two old men.

"First place, for the first time taken by someone outside the Phantom Divine Empire....." Mo Xinsui sighed softly.

Upon hearing this ranking announced, Xie Lvu of Qingluo Sect, Thousand Illusion Eagle King of Phantom Divine Sect, as well as Zhii Sheng and Kong Shan of Sword Origin Sect, all had their expressions turn extremely gloomy.

The Thousand Illusion Eagle King and Zhii Sheng and Kong Shan from Sword Origin Sect were somewhat understandable, as they regarded Ye Zhen as a mortal enemy and were extremely upset. However, for Xie Lvu, the Law Enforcement Elder of Qingluo Sect, his mood became quite unpredictable.

He pondered one question: was it worth his effort to go after Ye Zhen so relentlessly?

Before, Ye Zhen was a nobody, but now, he had become the first place in the Black Dragon Ranking.

Each first place holder of the Black Dragon Ranking not only possessed the strength to challenge the powerful in the Soul Sea Realm, but also had a bright future ahead. If they grew, each one would become a person of influence in the Black Dragon Domain.

Suddenly, Xie Lvu felt uneasy.

In contrast to Xie Lvu’s unease, Hai Luoshuang, the Tower Master of Stars Tower, was struck by immense surprise.

First place!

When she initially invested in Ye Zhen, did she ever expect him to win first place in the Black Dragon Ranking? Back then, she felt content as long as Ye Zhen made it into the top thirty-six; it would be enough to suppress dissenting voices within the tower.

But now, it was the first place!

This first place not only allowed her to suppress all dissenting voices within the tower but would also earn her a high commendation at the Main Building!

As Qingyi called out, Ye Zhen soared and landed on the tallest Black Dragon Platform in the center. The moment he stood there, a sense of pride looking down upon all the heroes spontaneously arose!

"Caiyi from Black Water Kingdom, achieved nine victories in eleven battles in the first round, scoring eighteen points and securing second place!"

Why was it nine victories in eleven battles? The main reason was Tao Hui, the True Inheritor disciple of Sword Origin Sect who was slain by Ye Zhen.

According to the rules of the Black Dragon Ranking’s battles, if a martial artist was slain, other participants who had not fought against the slain would receive points as if they had the same outcome as the one who made the kill.

Ye Zhen had slain Tao Hui, and Caiyi conceded to Ye Zhen, effectively counting her battle with Tao Hui as a loss; however, with Tao Hui dead, these matters had no effect on the rankings.

"Black Water Kingdom" appeared once again in the skies above the Black Dragon Ancient Land, drawing the eyes of everyone to the excited, unrestrainable figures of Jis Che and Zhongli Jing.

Was the Black Water Kingdom blessed with good fortune this year?

Without a sound, first and second place on the Black Dragon Ranking were swept up by the Black Water Kingdom.

After announcing first and second place, Qingyi’s voice halted because trouble had arrived.

Under the crisscrossing victories and defeats, Hua Wushuang, Yem Yuan, and Mo Xinsui turned out to have an equal score; including Tao Hui’s battle, each had seven wins and four losses, with a total of fourteen points.

The scores were the same, but the Black Dragon Ranking had never allowed for ties.

However, there was no need to rush. This kind of situation occurred frequently, and the Black Dragon Ranking had established precedents to follow.

"Hua Wushuang, Yem Yuan, Mo Xinsui, the three of you each have fourteen points, ranking third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. However, with equal scores, to decide the placements, each of you must fight two additional matches. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Xinsui’s face suddenly darkened.

He had defeated Hua Wushuang by the force of heavenly might, but if it came to additional matches, he would have no part in them.

"Alternatively, the three of your rankings could be decided by the Dragon Spirit!"

Mo Xinsui and Yem Yuan exchanged glances before simultaneously saying, "Let the Dragon Spirit decide!"

Hua Wushuang instantly became depressed. If it were additional matches, his chances were the greatest, but the Dragon Spirit?

Hua Wushuang was beginning to doubt his own luck.

"Summon the Dragon Spirit!"

Following Qingyi’s shout, twelve Black Dragon Tokens each emitted a stream of rosy light, soaring up and merging with the Rosy Clouds Dragon in the sky.

In an instant, three streams of rosy light shot out from the Rosy Clouds Dragon, enveloping Hua Wushuang, Yem Yuan, and Mo Xinsui. With a flash of light, their forms disappeared from their original spots, and in the moment the crowd saw clearly, the three had already appeared atop the Black Dragon Platform.

"This...."

The outcome was not unexpected.

Hua Wushuang was ranked third, Yem Yuan fourth, and Mo Xinsui fifth.

"This Dragon Spirit really is perceptive!"

Ye Zhen inexplicably exclaimed, for the rankings decided by the Dragon Spirit matched the true strength of everyone as perceived by the crowd. Even if additional matches were held, surely these would be the rankings.

Although Hua Wushuang had suffered serious injuries again the day before, he was like a cockroach with an extremely abnormal recovery ability. In just one night, his injuries had mostly healed, and even a thin layer of black hair had begun to grow on his head.

The recovery abilities of an Acquired Spiritual Body Great Perfectionist were truly formidable.

Even though he was ranked third, Hua Wushuang’s complexion was still very dark. Looking towards Ye Zhen in the highest platform, his eyes almost spat fire; that place should have been his.

This ranking caused the face of Hand Extreme Bu Changtian below the platform to burn with embarrassment.

When had their Phantom Divine Sect been unable to break into the top five? How could he, the True Inheritor, hold his head high upon returning to the sect?

Without a doubt, sixth place was Phantom Divine Sect’s much-anticipated Hand Extreme Bu Changtian.

When announcing this rank, Qingyi also let out a sigh. This ranking was indeed a bit...tragic!

The seventh on the Black Dragon Ranking was Bai Xin, and the eighth was Zuo Bin from Phantom Divine Sect.

Securing two places within the top ten was the only saving grace for the current Phantom Divine Sect.

As for ninth and tenth, they were Leng Tao and Lul Bei, respectively, with Bi Zheng ranked eleventh and missing out on the top ten.

This Black Dragon Ranking saw the demise of five individuals. Thus, the final count of the Black Dragon Ranking had only sixty-seven, with the missing five not being replaced.

This was the tradition of the Black Dragon Ranking; everything was a matter of fate.

"The rankings have been determined. Now, we shall proceed with the last event of the Black Dragon Ranking, the Free Challenge Match!"

"Any martial artist on the Black Dragon Platform, if you believe the rankings are unjust, may issue a challenge! However, you cannot challenge a martial artist whom you have already fought, and moreover, you can only challenge those ranked just one level higher than you."

"Is there anyone who wishes to challenge?"

Qingyi asked three times, but still, no one came forth to challenge.

Even Wen Zimo, who previously harbored ambition, now showed a bitter twist to his mouth.

During the group scoring matches, he had deliberately conceded to Ye Zhen to conserve his strength, resolved to challenge Ye Zhen after the rankings were announced in the Free Challenge Match.

But, after witnessing the numerous matches of Ye Zhen, Wen Zimo’s faint hopes had completely dissipated.

If Bu Changtian and Hua Wushuang had failed, what was he in comparison!

"Very well, as no one has come forward, this Black Dragon Ranking tournament comes to an end. Now, Dragon Spirit, please reveal yourself!"

At Qingyi’s call, all the martial artists on the Black Dragon Platform, whether Ye Zhen, Caiyi, or Hua Wushuang and Mo Xinsui, had their breathing quicken in anticipation.

They all knew the rewards of the Black Dragon Ranking were about to be awarded! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)