The reason being that either the Monarch Horoscope Contest of the God Ranking and the Monarch Ranking would normally give out seven to nineâor at most tenâMonarch Horoscopes.
Why would thirteen Monarch Horoscopes be given out this time?
Qin Nan and Chen Zilai exchanged glances with one another and detected a flicker in each otherâs eyes.
Although they had yet to achieve the Martial Monarch Realm, thus preventing them from knowing the secrets of the Canglan Continent, things like the Monarch Horoscope Contest taking place earlier than scheduled and the extraordinary number of Monarch Horoscopes given out were enough to prove that there was something serious happening, but they were still unaware of it for the time being.
âItâs a surprise that the Monarch Horoscope Contest of the God Ranking has given out thirteen Monarch Horoscopes. I believe that the Monarch Horoscope Contest of the Monarch Ranking will give out more than ten Monarch Horoscopes too. Qin Nan, itâs highly possible that I will have a chance to work with you again.â Chen Zilai collected his thoughts and let out a smile.
Qin Nan nodded.
The increase in the number of Monarch Horoscopes was definitely good news for them, as they would have a higher chance of securing one of them.
âMm? My ranking has dropped so much?â
Qin Nan lowered his head and took a glimpse at his chest. The initial number fifty-two was now ninety-six, only a few away from a hundred.
However, that was extremely reasonable too.
After all, Qin Nan had spent a month in the Southern Continent, and his cultivation had not improved lately. Furthermore, the opponents he had defeated were only seventh-layer or eighth-layer Martial Sacreds, thus his ranking was expected to drop rapidly.
âI almost forgot, Iâve been here for quite some time. Maybe I should check the latest news from the Middle Continent.â\nQin Nan murmured as he inserted his Divine Sense into the badge of the Shadow Pagoda.
For some reason, the Shadow Pagoda was extremely efficient. Although the Monarch Horoscope Contest of the God Ranking had just ended and the changes to the Monarch Ranking had just taken place, they were able to gather all the information and give Qin Nan what he had asked for.
The first piece of information was about the Monarch Horoscope Contest of the God Ranking.
âThe half-God region, the Monarch Horoscope Contest of the God Ranking has ended. Thirteen geniuses of the God Ranking were able to secure a Monarch Horoscope. They areâŚâ
Qin Nan quickly read it before proceeding to the next piece of information.
âDao Qianzhong had slain a half-Martial Monarch, causing his ranking to surpass Ao Cangtian and end up in the fourth spot. There is still no sign of where Ao Cangtian is, whose ranking has dropped to fifth.
âA mysterious faceless rogue cultivator has killed two core disciples of the Bodhi Temple. His ranking has increased from the fifteenth to the eighth. He is now the golden-grade target of the Bodhi Temple. If anyone is able to hunt him down, the Bodhi Temple will offer a map containing the information about a chance of acquiring a fourth-grade Tian ranked Martial Spirit as the reward.
âThe Death Cultivator has returned to the Middle Continent, killing two Martial Monarchsâ sons and three core disciples of the Dark Feather Palace, the Wuji Alliance, and the Fallen Demon Villa. Her ranking has risen to eleventh, currently being chased by a Martial Monarch. Her current status is yet to be confirmed.
âShi Qingfan has returned from the half-God region. He was last seen heading into the deepest region of the Misty Immortal Sect. He has most likely entered the forbidden area, the Misty Immortal Path, trying to achieve the half-Martial Monarch Realm in the final month before the Monarch Horoscope Contest.\nâSima Kong who has called himself the successor of the Emperor of Thieves has struck once again, stealing three Monarch Weapons and ten Rakshasa Fruits from the Rakshasa Sect. He stumbled into the ninth-ranked Sky-Yin Daoist but was able to escape perfectly unharmed.
âThe mysterious fire cultivator Fang Changqin defeated three core disciples of the Fiery Flame Sect, who ended up acquiring the Ancient Serene Flame of the Fiery Flame Sect, placing him at the twelfth rank.
âA month ago, the Monarch Fish was attacked and killed by a mysterious power in the rift. The disciples on it have returned to their sects safely, apart from the missing Human Peak Peak Leader of the Dragon Emperor Clan, Qin Nan, whose ranking has dropped to ninety-sixth.â
Qin Nan read all the information.
Even though his news was unable to grab any attention in the Middle Continent, he was able to imagine the fascinating battles just by reading the information.
In the battles, the geniuses unleashed their full potential and defeated their opponents, causing their names to be spread across the world.
Qin Nanâs blood began to become restless. The prologue to the new era had begun, with the geniuses having fierce competitions with one another. The battle intent in his bones was urging him to go onto the stage and challenge as many geniuses as possible.
âCalm down, calm down, now is not the time yet.â
Qin Nan took a few deep breaths to withhold the urge in his bones and calm his mind.
There was only a month left until the Monarch Horoscope Contest. He was not in a rush at all, thus he had a monthâs time to comprehend the Sky-Desolating Saber Art. When the time came, he would be able to soar into the sky and compete against the geniuses!\nâQin Nan, are you going into seclusion?â Chen Zilai seemed to be aware of something.
âMm, we might be each otherâs enemies the next time we meet.â Qin Nanâs lips curled upward as he added, âOr maybe friends.â
âHAHA, Iâm looking forward to seeing what kind of glow you will produce in the Monarch Horoscope Contest.â
Chen Zilaiâs eyes flickered gently as he said in a sincere tone.
Qin Nan was the only one that was referred to as the ârare oneâ by the Monarch Ranking.
âSee you.â
Qin Nan brought his fists together as he tried to entirely unleash the blurry figure in his heart.
Whoosh!
A strong absorption force was unleashed, sucking the saber intent of the Royal City toward his forehead instantly.
The initially blurry outline of the character in his mind began to emit a shocking glow.
Buzz buzz buzzâŚ
Following this, streams of desolating auras approached Qin Nan from nowhere, which formed a two-zhang tall door in front of him, as if it would lead him to some other place.
Chen Zilai and Qin Nan were stunned, as they did not expect this to happen.
âScared? Terrified? If you dare step through the door, you will lose your cultivation, your body, your Divine Sense. Your Martial Heart would be shattered, you will find yourself in an endless desolationâŚyouâââ
A hoarse, piercing voice could be heard, like a demon cursing.
Chen Zilaiâs expression changed slightly. The voice alone was enough to send a chill down his spine.
However, before the voice could finish, Qin Nan swung out his foot and stepped through the door with an expressionless face.
âYouâââ
The voice seemed to be astounded.
âCut the nonsense, letâs begin.â
Qin Nanâs figure disappeared into the door without turning his head around.
âKeke, interesting, how courageous and fearless, but please donât let me down in the end.â The hoarse voice let out a strange chuckle.\nBANG!
Following this, the door immediately exploded into countless grey light dots that attached onto Qin Nanâs body. A while later, Qin Nan no longer looked like himself from a distance away, but rather a human figure made of stone.
The human-figured stone then flew into the distance with a âwhooshâ.\n