17: Second place in Chapter 17: Heavenly Dao Sacred Body

The oppressive feeling brought by the Grandmist Dao Body had not yet dissipated, and that area on the golden list had been dark for a long time.

There was no wind, and no one dared to speak.

Even heartbeats seemed to be pressed down by something, stifled in chests, not daring to make a sound.

Perfected Lingyun stood at the entrance of the Yuqing Sect main hall, his fingers gripping the doorframe, his nails digging into the wood without him even feeling it; Tian Xuanzi's face was pale, the blood at the corner of his mouth had already dried, yet his eyes were fixed motionlessly on the sky—he knew the next ranking would crush all remaining hopes.

Inside Cold Crow Cave, Ye Fan slid down against the rock wall, looking down at his hands; black and white Qi emerged from his fingertips, drawing a tangled, messy pattern on the ground; he did not want to look up, nor did he dare to imagine who the second place was.

Just when everyone was about to be crushed by this silence—

"Clang!"

A clear sound, not loud, but like a needle, piercing through the deathly silence of the entire world.

The area on the golden list lit up, not with the explosive brightness from before, but by contracting and shrinking inwards, as if all the light had been sucked into something, and then that area became especially "clear"—clear enough that you could see individual patterns, as if the Heavenly Dao had been taken apart and laid out in front of you.

The sun, moon, and stars, mountains and rivers, the withering and flourishing of plants—all were operating in sequence within that small area, orderly and without the slightest disorder.

Finally, that light gathered into a fist-sized round bead, with runes flowing inside, rotating slowly.

With every rotation, the Law between heaven and earth seemed to breathe along with it.

The bead dispersed, turning into two lines of text—

[Second Place: Heavenly Dao Sacred Body]

[Owner: Dao Yi (Successor of the ancient ruins 'Heavenly Dao Palace', suspected Reincarnation of an ancient Saint)]

—The deathly silence was shattered.

"Heavenly Dao Sacred Body! Wielding the authority of the Heavenly Dao!"

"Dao Yi? Wasn't that Innate Dao Fetus from before also named Dao Yi?"

"Ancient Heavenly Dao Palace... That is the legendary dojo of the Heavenly Dao in the mortal world!"

"Suspected Reincarnation of an ancient Saint? What is the concept of an ancient Saint?"

"Second place! Even the Grandmist Dao Body cannot suppress him?"

Some people's legs were already turning to jelly; the four words 'Heavenly Dao Sacred Body' were too heavy—Heavenly Dao is the rules, it is the order, it is the net in this world that no one can bypass. Someone who possesses this Physique is, to a certain extent, the Heavenly Dao itself, the embodiment of rules. To oppose him is to oppose the heavens.

Central Region, Tiandao Sect.

Dao Xuan watched those four words, the stars in his eyes ceasing to rotate. The old man behind him said in a trembling voice: "Saint, this 'Dao Yi's' Heavenly Dao Sacred Body... is it the same as our sect's 'Heavenly Dao Sacred Body'..."

He did not finish; Dao Xuan was ranked twentieth, Low Grade Dao level, while this Dao Yi was ranked second—same name, different fates.

Dao Xuan was silent for a long time, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only deep darkness remained in his eyes.

"Heavenly Dao has no kin, only the Dao is followed!" He said, his voice very flat, "He has his Dao, I have my path, second on the golden list... very good!"

He looked towards the top of the list; that was the place he truly cared about.

Western Region, Solar Divine Sect.

Yang Fentian's face was as gloomy as if it were about to drip water. He gritted his teeth and issued an order: "Pass the order, no one in the Divine Sect is to conflict with any person or force suspected to be related to Dao Yi. Prepare generous gifts and send a congratulatory message in my name towards the direction of the Heavenly Dao Palace ruins."

Admit defeat—there was no choice but to submit.

Northern Region, Yuanshi Demon Sect.

Yuan Sha's scarlet eyes flickered, and he snorted: "Heavenly Dao Sacred Body... wielding order? My Demonic Path hates order the most, but second place... as long as it's not first, there is still a game to be played."

Eastern Region, Shushan Sword Pavilion.

Ye Gucheng stood up. His white clothes fluttered loudly in the mountain wind. His fingers left the sword hilt, and he looked up at the four words "Heavenly Dao Sacred Body". His cold, clear face had no expression, and he only said in a low voice: "Can my sword cut through the rules of Heaven?"

A sword hum arose, sharp enough to seem as if it would pierce a hole in the sky.

Yuqing Sect, Main Peak Hall.

Tian Xuanzi swayed and was supported by the person beside him. He gave a miserable laugh: "The orthodox Heavenly Dao has appeared in the world... It is a fixed fate, and also a catastrophe. My Yuqing Sect... where do we go from here..."

Perfected Lingyun closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only exhaustion remained: "Pass the order, seal the mountains and close the gates; unless necessary, no one is to go out. Prepare a congratulatory letter, and use the ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven to pay respects to the golden list from afar, congratulating the appearance of the Heavenly Dao Sacred Body."

He no longer struggled; he only wanted to survive.

At the entrance of Cold Crow Cave, Ye Fan suddenly looked up. Not second, the Yin-Yang Dao Body was not second, then he...

His gaze was like two flames, piercing through the cave entrance, fixed firmly on the very top of the golden list, the position still shrouded in light—the top of the list.

A tremor drilled out from the gaps in his bones; was it fear, joy, confusion, or that crazy drive of being pushed to the edge of a cliff? He could not say clearly. He only knew that second place was the Heavenly Dao Sacred Body, the Reincarnation of an ancient Saint, and even such an existence could only be ranked second.

What on earth was the one ranked first?

The Yin-Yang Two Qi within his body roared like a dragon, rushing straight into the clouds, creating a kind of fated resonance with that aura of creation.

He held his breath, clenched his fists; the answer was right before his eyes.