How can I have a heart of a demonic god in my body?!

The Tianjiao Ranking Battle had only one rule: as long as one was under the age of fifty, they could participate.

Therefore, those who met this criterion and were not too weak in strength would almost all take part. Even if they didn't place in the rankings, having the opportunity to witness the hundred talents on the "Tianjiao List" and to step onto the stage of the Tianjiao Battle was an honor in itself.

"It's said that Shen Ji has made a breakthrough to the Mid-stage Sky Sea Realm; I've always underestimated him."

"With Brother Shen's current strength, the top ten of the 'Tianjiao List' shouldn't be a problem, and he even has the hope of entering the top five. Truly deserving as the ace of Black Demon Valley!"

Most of the attention was on Shen Ji.

Although most did not like the person, his formidable strength and astonishing talent commanded attention and respect.

Besides, among the other four major valleys, there were also no lack of powerful geniuses.

Chen Yu and Tu Zhixiang were among them.

Both were disciples of the Silent Blood King from the Blood Demon Valley, with Tu Zhixiang ranked even higher on the "Tianjiao List." Additionally, being one of the Black Demon Valley's five great beauties made her even more noticeable.

Suddenly.

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi around them began to churn, and a vast and profound demonic intent surged forth like a mountain, deep as the sea.

Boom!

A giant shadow burst forth from the layers of dark clouds in the sky.

It was a massive warship as large as a mountain, covered in densely packed inscriptions that flickered with a myriad of strange lights.

There were two pitch-black demonic horns on top of the warship.

At a glance, the entire warship resembled the colossal skull of a Demon King, delivering a vast and imposing visual impact.

"Board the ship!"

A stern voice, old and chilly, emanated from within the Demon Horn Warship, quieting the world as if this was the only sound left.

"It seems that this time the team is led by the Valley Master of Yinfeng Valley."

Tu Zhixiang said and, with a leap, flew onto the warship.

And the other geniuses immediately followed suit.

Shoo!

A streak of black light shot up, stirring up billowing dark energy that made many geniuses nearby lose their balance and dodge to the side.

This black light landed on the warship and transformed into a figure. It was none other than the Little Demon King Shen Ji, who was the first to board the warship. He glanced indifferently at the geniuses below, then turned and walked away.

Soon after, the warship activated, whipping up a sky-high surge, and sped towards the distant horizon.

Only half a month remained until the Tianjiao Ranking Battle.

Most of the contestants were in secluded meditation, adjusting their condition, while some who couldn't wait sparred with others on the warship's fighting platform.

Within his secret chamber, Chen Yu was in deep meditation.

With Condensed Star Kings aboard the warship, he didn't dare to take out the Blood Star Holy Pill rashly.

Chen Yu sat cross-legged on the Earth Primordial Crystal, comprehending the Power of Heaven and Earth Realm.

The Demon Horn Warship traveled at extreme speed, seemingly containing principles of space; Chen Yu's spiritual consciousness spread out through the Earth Primordial Crystal.

After some time, his understanding of the power of space deepened.

He then practiced the Space Palm Technique to enhance his comprehension.

The Spatial Realm Power was an incredibly strong auxiliary force, capable of complementing defense, attack, and movement techniques.

In the Sky Sea Realm, there was a saying that a cultivator who comprehended Spatial Realm Power was almost invincible among their peers.

So far, Chen Yu had not met anyone else who had grasped this power.

He felt that he had a talent in this area, similar to his talent for Body Refinement, which is why he spent more time on it.

A few days later, Chen Yu took a break and practiced another secret technique, the "Six Flames Sword Finger."

The "Six Flames Sword Finger" was passed down by the Red Flame King. Chen Yu had already perfected the first point, and its power was extraordinary.

"Where has the Red Flame King run off to, not coming to find me?"

Each time he practiced the "Six Flames Sword Finger," Chen Yu couldn't help but think of the Red Flame King.

The "Six Flames Sword Finger" had six layers, three with Yang attributes and three with Yin attributes.

Normally, practicing this Cultivation Technique required one Yang Fire and one Yin Fire to unleash its greatest power.

However, Chen Yu's Innate Spiritual Flame, the Blood Crystal Flame, was quite unique, not favoring any side, which made it suitable for both types of Sword Point.

Still, in terms of power, it might not compare to the pure Yang Fire's Yangming Sword Point.

Now, what Chen Yu was practicing was the second layer: the Taiyin Sword Point.

The Taiyin Sword Point emphasized the passive Yin, the opposite of the assertive Yangming Sword Point.

Chen Yu had started practicing it long ago, but he was clearly unsuited for this style of combat technique, and the results were not significant.

The True Yuan in his body revolved, and the Blood Crystal Flame converged on his right thumb.

Whoosh!

A semi-transparent dark red light suddenly fluttered out, ethereal and passive, almost imperceptible.

If used suddenly in a chaotic battle, it could have unexpected effects.

But in terms of lethality, it was inferior to the assertive and dominating Yangming Sword Point.

Of course, Chen Yu's Taiyin Sword Point was just at the beginner's stage; if he also brought it to perfection, it would be a different story.

Along the way, Chen Yu was mastering Spatial Realm Power and practicing the "Six Flames Sword Finger."

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

One day, a long horn's resonant hum echoed within the warship, persisting for a while before ending.

Chen Yu left the secret chamber, stepped out of the warship, and looked down into the distance.

Abysses, ancient forests, towering mountains, and great rivers were interwoven into a magnificent and vast landscape.

"Is this one of the perilous lands in the Southern Domain, the 'Impoverished Mountain Ancient Land'?"

Chen Yu's gaze sharpened, as the sky and the earth occasionally revealed flying birds and beasts. Although most were intimidated by the Demon Horn Warship and dared not approach, there were also one or two fierce and majestic roars echoing out.

The warship suddenly slowed down, and up ahead, one could see a chaotic architectural landscape.

Shoo—

All the geniuses alighted.

Nearby were camps and forces of various sizes.

"These are all the people participating in the ranking battle of the Heavenly Pride List?"

Chen Yu scanned the surroundings and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

There were so many!

The Southern Domain was so vast, and there were so many geniuses—it was no lie.

The usually indifferent Shen Ji, having arrived here, slightly contained his expression as his gaze swept around.

"Demon Horn Warship, three-and-a-half-star sect, Black Demon Valley!"

"The ace of Black Demon Valley should be the Little Demon King Shen Ji, right? I heard he broke through to the mid-stage Sky Sea Realm, but I wonder if that's true or false."

A wave of discussions suddenly rose from the surrounding onlookers.

"There's still a day or two until the Heavenly Pride List ranking battle. You can interact with the other participating geniuses as long as you don't cause any fatalities."

An elder in black robes came out and instructed them.

After speaking, this elder also took the initiative to leave, flying toward other camps.

"Wind Fire Sect, Shangguan Feiyun!"

Tu Zhixiang saw the elder heading toward that particular camp, her gaze landing on a tall and straight man in a green robe.

"So, that's Shangguan Feiyun with the Sky Dragon Spear?"

Chen Yu also looked over.

He knew only a few of the talented individuals in the Southern Domain, but he had heard of many, including Shangguan Feiyun, who was said to have risen rapidly in recent years. Everyone outside said that his strength ranked in the top twenty.

Suddenly, an argument between Shen Ji and someone else came from not far away.

"Luo Qiumei, it seems like apart from you, there are hardly any decent individuals in Heavenly Jade Sect."

Shen Ji was as domineering as ever, and moreover, there was longstanding animosity between Heavenly Jade Sect and Black Demon Valley.

"Hmph, during the ranking battle, I will shut that vile mouth of yours!"

From the Heavenly Jade Sect, a woman clad in white, with a remarkable temperament, spoke coldly with frost on her face.

Whiz—

As if an invisible chill of Sword Qi spread out, biting cold, piercing into the soul.

The disciples of Black Demon Valley stepped back en masse, not daring to confront it directly.

"Luo Qiumei, the leader of the geniuses of the Heavenly Jade Sect!"

Chen Yu had some understanding of rival forces.

"Luo Qiumei, you dare to attack the disciples of Black Demon Valley? Do you really think Black Demon Valley is so easy to bully?"

Shen Ji, with intimidating momentum, coldly shouted, and a soaring demon aura tumbled out, faintly forming the vast silhouette of a demon head, its demonic might awe-inspiring.

"Brother Shen, please calm your anger. Let me test the young prodigy of Heavenly Jade Sect and verify whether your words hold true!"

A man in black robes next to Shen Ji stepped forward.

When Chen Yu had first returned to Black Demon Valley and inadvertently encountered Shen Ji, this man was by Shen Ji's side, a genius with a high reputation in Black Demon Valley, said to have participated in the previous Heavenly Pride List ranking battle.

"Zou Qing, come out."

The man in black robes immediately called out.

On the side of Heavenly Jade Sect, a man with thick eyebrows scowled, unable to pretend he hadn't heard his name being called out so directly.

"This situation looks like it's going to turn into a direct fight."

Chen Yu couldn't help but smile.

"Black Demon Valley and Heavenly Jade Sect have too many grudges. Usually, when the geniuses from both sects meet, most of the time, a fight breaks out, let alone now with the Heavenly Pride List ranking battle approaching. It's quite normal for them to exchange moves," said Tu Zhixiang nonchalantly.

"Let's see if you've improved over the past few years!"

As soon as the man in black robes finished speaking, his arms vibrated, a pattern of black and blue light undulated, and stones flew about as the power of the realm was unleashed but kept within a certain range.

Whoosh!

He waved his palm, and a black and blue light blade, stirring up a wild tempest, sliced through the air.

"This man's strength is comparable to that of He Yunwang."

Chen Yu muttered to himself.

It appeared that most people didn't usually compete for the list and instead waited for the Heavenly Pride List ranking battle to reveal their true capabilities and gain fame in one fell swoop.

This man in black robes had the strength for the "Heavenly Pride List," yet was not on the list.

The man with thick eyebrows refused to be outdone, as he represented Heavenly Jade Sect at that moment.

With his sword drawn, a flash of blue sword light appeared, slicing through the dim surroundings to create a continuous swath of blue sword aurora, cleaving through the air.

Before the sword aurora even arrived, a vast and sharp invisible Sword Intent rippled in all directions, piercing the souls of the onlookers.

"This person is also strong."

Tu Zhixiang whispered, then turned to Chen Yu, "Junior Brother, what's your goal for this battle? The ranking battle hasn't started yet, you can go and check out the geniuses who currently stand at your goal and see how strong they really are."

For instance, Tu Zhixiang's goal was the top forty, so she would soon go to observe geniuses around rank forty. Perhaps she would witness them in action to gauge whether she had a chance of victory.

"Right, I'll go and take a look later."

Chen Yu felt it was quite necessary.

He had encountered few of the people on the "Heavenly Pride List," mostly having only heard of them.

Thus, Chen Yu couldn't be sure of his own strength among the many geniuses, nor could he confidently set a target.

As they spoke, the battle between the man in black robes and the thick-eyebrowed man concluded, with the man in black robes gaining a slight advantage and leaving a wound on the thick-eyebrowed man's shoulder.

"Hahaha, is this what the geniuses of Heavenly Jade Sect amount to? I think you'd be better off returning home now to avoid further embarrassment."

Shen Ji, now with the upper hand, held the geniuses of Heavenly Jade Sect in even lower regard.

As soon as he finished speaking, many geniuses from Heavenly Jade Sect stomped their feet in anger.

Two of them were ready to step forward right away to regain face.

"Not convinced?"

But Shen Ji spoke first, "In that case, Junior Brother Chen, why don't you also give a lesson to the trash of Heavenly Jade Sect?"