59: Chapter 59, Third Place: Nangong Yue, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult

The Sword Intent on the golden list finally dissipated completely.

But that world-splitting force remained etched in the hearts of many Cultivators; just thinking about it was terrifying—how strong exactly was Dugu Qiubai?

Before everyone could recover their senses, the light screen changed once more.

This time, it wasn't Sword Intent that appeared, but something else. It was hard to explain or describe, but it made people's hearts flutter; the light screen began to shift, colors swirling together like a dream. Faint singing could be heard, and shadows seemed to flicker. It even felt like a fragrance was wafting past—one knew it wasn't real, yet couldn't help but want to look a bit longer.

When the image finally settled, everyone fell silent.

Before them was a grand hall made of black jade, so tall its top was invisible. In the deepest part of the hall sat a chair crafted from a single piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Marrow Crystal, and a person reclined lazily upon it.

A black gauze dress spread out like the night sky. Beneath the dress, her figure was indescribable—it was simply perfect, where a bit more would be too much and a bit less would be too little.

Then, there was her face.

It was truly impossible to describe her using terms like beautiful or not. If you said she looked like a Fairy, her eyes held a hint of Demonic Qi; if you said she looked like a demoness, she possessed a certain innocence. Her skin was as white as mutton-fat jade with a hint of pink. Most lethal were those eyes, upturned at the corners, looking at people with a half-smile that seemed to pull out every hidden, unsightly thought from within.

She didn't do anything intentionally, just leaned there lazily, her fingers tapping the armrest occasionally. Yet that charm was irresistible even through the golden list, boring straight into people's hearts.

Many Cultivators blushed and their breathing became uneven upon taking just one look. Even some Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stage elders had to quickly circulate their cultivation to guard their minds, otherwise they would have surely made fools of themselves on the spot.

[Third Place: Nangong Yue (Current Saintess of the "Yuanshi Demon Sect", "Heavenly Demon Divine Desire Physique", Late Stage Nascent Soul. Her beauty is a demonic beauty that has reached the extreme, transcending good and evil and bewitching all living beings; she is the Incarnation of desire, the prelude to destruction, and the ultimate temptation itself. Innocence and demonry, holiness and depravity, are perfectly fused in her, forming an irresistible, peerless elegance that makes one willing to die for her; her existence itself is a most dangerous and intoxicating interpretation of 'beauty,' the only true color blooming in the boundless sea of sin and desire.)]

"Heavenly Demon Divine Desire Physique! Saintess of the Yuanshi Demon Sect!"

"It's actually Nangong Yue! That enchantress from the Demonic Cult... Who knew she looked like this?"

"This Physique is the most sinister kind in the Demonic Path! I heard it's born with the ability to stir the desires in people's hearts; it's impossible to guard against."

"No wonder she's ranked third! This kind of beauty—one would want to taste it even knowing it's poison."

"The Yuanshi Demon Sect... they are the tough opponents who have fought against the Shushan Sword Pavilion and Great Leiyin Temple for so many years. Is their Saintess truly this terrifying?"

Inside the Hidden Dragon Valley.

Ye Fan, Su Qianxue, and Liu Mengli were also shaken! Especially Ye Fan; his Yin-Yang Dao Body was particularly sensitive to things like Yin Qi, desire, and charm. The demonic power transmitted through the golden list forced him to quickly circulate his cultivation to steady himself.

"This Physique is not simple," Ye Fan said with a grave expression. "It's no longer just simple charm; it goes straight for the desires at the bottom of one's heart. No wonder the Yuanshi Demon Sect has been able to challenge the Righteous Path for so long. With a Saintess like this around, who could possibly withstand it?"

"I almost couldn't hold my ground just now." Liu Mengli's face was slightly pale. She had only recently achieved a Breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, and her mental state wasn't yet stable. Encountering such demonic charm, she had almost fallen for it.

"Don't think too much about it." Su Qianxue's voice remained cold as ever as she sent a strand of Mystic Yin Qi over to help Liu Mengli steady her mind. Her Mystic Yin Body was naturally cold and had a strong resistance to things like desire, though she too had felt somewhat uncomfortable just now.

"This Nangong Yue will likely be an opponent in the future," Ye Fan remarked. "It's not just her who is formidable, but the Yuanshi Demon Sect behind her. If we truly face her, we must first overcome the trial of our own hearts."

"Young Master, who will the top two be?" Su Qianxue asked while looking at the golden list.

If even someone like Nangong Yue was only ranked third, what would the top two be like?

"If nothing unexpected happens..." Ye Fan's gaze drifted toward the distance. "Second place should be that number one beauty of the Central Plains. As for the first..."

He paused and shook his head. "I can't guess. Someone who can rank above Dugu Qiubai, Ying Yinman, and Nangong Yue... I'm afraid it's no longer just a matter of 'beauty'."

Meanwhile, the outside world had already erupted in an uproar.

"Third place is the Saintess of the Demonic Cult! Then who are the top two?!"

"Fairy Luo Shen will definitely be in the top two; it just depends on whether she's second or first."

"Who else could be more beautiful than Nangong Yue? Could it be some legendary powerhouse?"

"Stop stalling and announce it already!"

Billions of eyes were fixed intently on the golden list.

The light screen paused for a long while before finally moving again.

This time, there was no soaring Sword Intent, no majestic imperial pressure, and no surging Devilish Qi. It was just a very quiet, very clean feeling.

Something seemed to be slowly lighting up within the light screen; that light was incredibly pure, and watching it made one's heart grow peaceful as well.

[Second place, about to be announced.]