Ying Huang, A New Round of Rankings Begins

Even amidst the infinite mysteries of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, His presence remained unmistakably vivid.

Ying Bing now felt as if the lunar energy within her was erupting for the first time. The boundless, frigid cold seemed to surge from the depths of her soul, spreading through her entire body, rendering her unable to move even a finger. It was as though she were trapped in an icy abyss, endlessly falling deeper...

And she had become a mere bystander to herself, powerless to act.

"You've come."

Was it the wind that carried that voice?

It was identical to the one she had heard in the underground palace.

So.

The one calling to her within the Yunmeng Palace was never the Yunmeng Ancestral God...

It was Him!

The moment this thought arose, Ying Bing felt her consciousness plunge into chaos.

Buzz—

Buzz—

As if the heart of the heavens was beating, the call suddenly became deafening, as though whispering something to her. The murmurs seemed unlike any human language—perhaps mortals weren’t even qualified to comprehend their meaning.

"He... wants to seize my consciousness?"

"Even if it means mutual destruction..."

Ying Bing clung to her fading awareness. Facing a being as vast as the heavens, she was but an insignificant ant.

Yet she refused to do nothing.

Time seemed to lose all meaning.

Then, her vision abruptly cleared. In the void, she saw the familiar Moon Palace—but the woman seated within was not her.

The Nine-Colored Primordial Phoenix.

Her face was indistinct, but her aura—serene yet profound, compassionate and sorrowful—was irreplaceable.

"You... want to replace me?"

Ying Bing instinctively reached out but couldn’t grasp her sword.

"The present me does not, but the future me... perhaps." The gentle woman's voice flowed like a murmuring stream.

Ying Bing’s voice turned icy. "Who are you?"

"My name... my name..."

The gentle woman paused, as if lost in memory. The void around them trembled violently, mirroring the turbulence of her thoughts.

After a long silence, her voice returned:

"I am Ying Huang."

"This is a fragment of my consciousness, left behind in the Heavenly Phoenix Domain while I divined the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

Ying Huang’s gaze softened.

Using the Heavenly Phoenix Domain to divine the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?

In her past life, Ying Bing had controlled half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain from the Celestial City Realm. Only now did she learn of its origins.

The Nine-Colored Primordial Phoenix—Ying Huang.

After leading the Nine Immortals to save the world, she feared the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths might collapse again for other reasons, so she tirelessly divined its future...

What unfathomable power had she gained after returning from the Celestial Realm?

Ying Bing fell silent.

Unless she ascended the path of immortality, such a feat would be impossible.

Ying Huang brewed a cup of tea and gently pushed it toward her:

"Do you know of the chess game at Rotten Ke Mountain?"

"Yes."

Ying Bing nodded.

"That game’s layout reflects my divination of the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, expressed through chess—but it is incomplete."

"If you can see me, you possess the qualifications to break the game."

"Then I ask you to retrieve the other half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain."

The gentle woman who called herself Ying Huang spoke earnestly.

"..."

Ying Bing pondered silently, like a jade sculpture amidst frost and snow.

In her past life, with only half the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, her inner realm had already been peerless—let alone with the complete artifact.

But she didn’t know what this ancestor of the Ying family, savior of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, truly intended.

Friend or foe?

Or something else entirely?

Ying Huang sighed faintly:

"I cannot answer your doubts, for I am incomplete as well."

"Then why me? Just because... I am of Ying blood?"

Ying Bing was certain this was their first meeting.

"You and I... are the same," Ying Huang said.

"How?"

Ying Huang lowered her eyes, as though the center of this world:

"My heart says so, but I do not know the reason."

"I will retrieve the other half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain."

After a moment of silence, Ying Bing added firmly: "But I refuse to become you—or anyone else. I... will only be myself."

"Otherwise, I would rather perish."

Her tone was like shattering ice.

The ice block was deadly serious.

"Then you must surpass the future me—surpass yourself."

The gentle Ying Huang seemed to smile faintly:

"Those who learn from me, live."

"Those who imitate me... die."

The instant these words were spoken, all color faded from the world. Everything receded rapidly, and reality descended.

Ying Bing slowly opened her eyes.

Everything remained unchanged. The steam from the hotpot downstairs still rose, blurring the outlines of the Qingyuan Sect.

Were it not for the incomplete Heavenly Phoenix Domain now wholly hers, the encounter might have been nothing but a dream...

She walked to the bronze mirror by her bed. Her reflection was coldly beautiful, like an exiled immortal—yet tinged with a sickly pallor.

Perhaps the exchange had drained her spirit.

"Surpass Him, surpass myself..."

"I will!"

Ying Bing rubbed the head of the plush doll at her waist and whispered to herself.

As if sensing her resolve, the system’s text reappeared:

[Host, initiate a new ranking...]

Before it could finish, Ying Bing’s answer was immediate.

Yes.

[If only the host were always this eager...]

[Initiating current ranking of peerless talents.]

[Scope: Imperial Capital.]

[Penalty for defeat: Plant forty-nine strawberries for the victor.]

"Imperial Capital..."

Ying Bing had anticipated this, yet she still pondered.

By the timeline, the next ranking would coincide with the gathering of hidden dragons and talents in the Imperial Capital.

To claim the top spot, she would have to outshine all geniuses of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

And.

She couldn’t afford any distractions.

"Perhaps there are other ways to prevent the awakening of other consciousnesses within me..."

"I’ll ask Qin Yuzhi later."

......

After dinner, Li Mo returned to his room.

Now wasn’t the time for dual cultivation—but for...

The prize draw!

Little Li rubbed his hands, barely containing his excitement.

Upon leaving Rotten Ke Mountain, a flood of investment feedback notifications had chimed—from the escaped factions, wandering warriors...

And, of course!

The ice block’s!

"As usual, start with the ordinary fates."

Li Mo began collecting his rewards with ceremonial flair.