In the early days of the war between Celestials and Demons, the fighting wasn't overly intense; the monthly publication of the Nascent Soul Demon Slaying Rankings and the Golden Core Demon Slaying Rankings was undoubtedly the most anticipated event across the entire Eastern Sea Cultivation World.

In times past, the Eastern Sea Cultivation World was vast. If a certain Immortal Palace produced a cultivator of peerless natural talent, or if another Palace's disciples possessed superb bone structure, the impact was usually limited to a small sphere. Disciples of the various Immortal Palaces scattered across the great sea regions seldom met; who had the time or energy to travel everywhere to engage in duels?

The Eastern Sea Cultivation World held countless large and small Immortal Palaces and forces. Which cultivator was truly stronger, and which master held greater might? Everything remained mired in dispute and speculation, with no direct comparison possible. Most people naturally maintained an attitude of skepticism.

However, once the Demon Slaying Rankings issued by the two great Immortal Alliances were released, the hierarchy of power became instantly clear.

These two lists provided the most comprehensive record of the merits earned by the top echelon of cultivators in the entire Eastern Sea Cultivation World. Furthermore, they were joint publications by the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance, rendering their impartiality beyond question.

It was because of their high placement on these rankings that a host of previously unknown cultivators rapidly became famous throughout the Eastern Sea Cultivation World within just a few short years, earning renown among Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators alike. In the grand halls and taverns of the major Immortal Cities, when people spoke of a certain figure on the list, everyone knew them—even their cultivation strength, background, and combat achievements were clearly understood, making comparisons easy.

Of course, such prestige was largely confined to the top thousand names on the Golden Core list. There were too many names below that threshold, most of them mediocre in strength, thus attracting little attention.

"Ye Qin, Eighth Layer Golden Core, Elder of the Purple Sword Palace." .................. The moment this name appeared at the 213th position on the latest monthly Golden Core Ranking, it immediately shocked countless cultivators who followed the lists closely. Many cultivators frequented the halls and taverns precisely to discuss the rankings.

Initially, the shock stemmed from the word "Elder."

For the Golden Core Ranking was exclusively populated by Palace Masters’ heirs, core disciples, ordinary disciples, or rogue cultivators. Ye Qin was the only Elder listed at the Golden Core stage, which made his presence undeniably conspicuous.

But quickly, the Golden Core cultivators scrutinized the details. A month prior, the name Ye Qin hadn't even been present in the top one thousand of the Demon Slaying Rankings, let alone the top ten thousand.

This meant that Ye Qin, this little-known cultivator from the Purple Sword Palace, had slain an astonishing number of Rank 9 and Rank 8 demonic beasts within the span of just one month, rocketing from complete obscurity to the 200-plus spot.

The placements on both lists shifted every month.

He was the cultivator whose ranking on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List had ascended the fastest.

Faced with such a meteoric rise, countless Golden Core cultivators could only exchange bewildered glances, stunned beyond words.

The lists jointly formulated by the two Immortal Alliances were subject to extremely stringent verification, especially for the top thousand. There was absolutely no possibility of deception or misplacement.

Blood Sea, a stone city within.

"Crack!"

Du Qingliang sprang to his feet with a sudden jolt, crushing the jade slip containing the newest Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking into dust.

He had just returned from the front lines, and upon receiving a delivered jade slip, he immediately checked the new round of the Golden Core Ranking.

His own ranking had been around 930-odd. He had been expecting to see himself jump forward a few dozen places, but instead, he saw the name Ye Qin at the 200-odd position, along with the tally of demonic beasts Ye Qin had slain. The shock, mixed with rising anger, provoked this uncontrolled outburst.

Du Qingliang had long considered Ye Qin his greatest target.

For years, although he carried the title of a genius Wind-element cultivator from the Upper Soup Palace, his cultivation was only at the Seventh Layer of the Golden Core, making him somewhat low among late-stage Golden Core cultivators. He had struggled tooth and nail just to break into the top thousand, securing a precarious position on the list.

His own achievement, breaking into the top thousand dominated by late-stage Golden Core experts with only Seventh Layer cultivation, was considered quite remarkable.

He checked the monthly Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking religiously, yet Ye Qin’s shadow never appeared.

As time passed, he naturally developed a comfortable feeling of having surpassed Ye Qin of the Purple Sword Palace. Even though he knew deep down it was illusory—that he was clearly no match for Ye Qin—this sensation of holding a much higher rank was deeply satisfying.

Checking the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking every month had become something he both eagerly anticipated and deeply dreaded.

Du Qingliang harbored a persistent anxiety: the fear that Ye Qin would appear on the list, steadily overtake him, and reopen the wounds of the past.

Today, the very thing he had worried about finally materialized.

In just one month, Ye Qin had suddenly appeared on the list, occupying the 200-odd position, far surpassing him. Ye Qin hadn't even allowed him a moment of perceived superiority below his rank.

The fury and shock within Du Qingliang were immense.

"Brother Qingliang, what's wrong?" Not far away, a fellow cultivator from the Upper Soup Palace, who was meditating nearby, rushed to inquire upon seeing Du Qingliang's demeanor.

"N-nothing! I moved up another ten-odd spots last month."

"Ah, congratulations, Brother Qingliang! If you can reach the top eight hundred in a few more months, the Palace Master will surely grant you substantial rewards."

"Let's hope so," Du Qingliang replied dryly, turning his back and sitting down again.

He sat motionless for a long time, his ashen face cycling through numerous expressions before he finally slumped in defeat.

Many years ago, when he was at the Second Layer of the Golden Core, he had been defeated by Ye Qin, who was then at the First Layer. Now, Ye Qin was at the Eighth Layer, while he had only reached the Seventh Layer; the gap in cultivation was becoming increasingly evident.

"In the end, I am not his match. Now, even in the Demon Slaying pursuit, after fighting for four or five years, my results still fall far short of what he achieved in a single month..."

Du Qingliang's mood plummeted, tinged with pain, mixed with helplessness and despair. In earlier years, he still held slivers of false hope that he would grow more renowned day by day, ensuring he would never again see that name ranked above his own. But now, he couldn't even hope to catch sight of the other's shadow.

A different stretch of sea.

"Ye Xiaozhanglao of the Purple Sword Palace, silent for years, suddenly jumps to the 200-odd rank? He's becoming harder and harder to figure out!"

"Sister Meng Ling, perhaps he'll surpass you next month!"

"Heh heh, Elder Ye is already the Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace; his status is naturally higher than mine. Being surpassed is no shame. Besides, if he truly aimed for the rankings, he’d be eyeing the top ten. Someone like us..."

A group of beautiful female cultivators, returning from hunting demons at sea, were chatting softly with suppressed laughter.

At the center stood a peerlessly beautiful woman, accompanied by a pure white, multi-tailed spirit fox trailing behind her.

The spirit fox’s ears twitched sharply, its bright, round eyes full of spirit. Though small in stature and appearing utterly intelligent like a common spirit pet, it carried the aura of a Rank 9 spirit beast and could exhale a pink mist capable of instantly incapacitating foes.

This was Fairy Meng Ling, the Young Palace Mistress of the Wunü Ear Palace, currently ranked 86th on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

A fierce and powerful stream of golden sword light sliced out, creating countless golden blades that furiously assaulted an 8th-tier demonic beast.

In moments, the beast was slain.

A young cultivator in a cyan robe, his expression cold and stern, materialized in the air. He gazed down at the island where the enormous body of the 8th-tier sea beast lay pierced by a single sword strike, covered in lacerations from sword energy.

A Flowing Shadow Mirror floated in the air, emitting a faint glow, faithfully recording the scene just witnessed.

At that moment, two cultivators at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core approached, riding shimmering swords from the distance. Their robes were similar to the stern young cultivator's—they belonged to the same Immortal Palace.

"Young Palace Master, the latest Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking has been posted. You remain ranked first this month. The nine behind you—Jiang Ling, Ding Han, Sun Siyue, and others—have seen slight shifts, but their accrued merit is such that they cannot challenge your first place within months. Two others have dropped out of the top ten, replaced by newcomers," the two disciples reported.

"Mmm," the young cultivator replied, retracting his flying sword with a soft snort, entirely unsurprised.

He had occupied the top spot on the list for a considerable period. Although he had occasionally slipped to second or third due to unforeseen circumstances, he had held the summit for the vast majority of the time. In the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, he was tacitly recognized as the foremost cultivator in the late Golden Core stage.

In truth, with his current peak cultivation at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core, he could attempt to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck. However, he was in no hurry to do so, choosing instead to linger at the peak of the Ninth Layer for the time being.

As the Young Palace Master of the Great Hao Palace, he needed to amass vast prestige and fame so that every Golden Core cultivator in the Eastern Sea knew of Li Qingyu's existence.

Being at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core and holding the number one spot on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List was the perfect time to accumulate such influence. This would lay a solid foundation of prestige for his ascension to the Central Sect Master position centuries later. Without sufficient authority, the position of Sect Master was unthinkable.

His current immense fame was built upon dominating the Golden Core Demon Slaying List for the past several years; otherwise, most Eastern Sea cultivators wouldn't even know the name of the Great Hao Palace’s Young Palace Master.

If he rushed to advance to Nascent Soul now and enter the Nascent Soul Demon Slaying Rankings, he would be unable to compete effectively against the masses of mid- and late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Without a decent ranking, his fame would naturally suffer compared to now. After all, who would pay attention to Li Qingyu languishing at the tail end of the Nascent Soul list?

He intended to rule the Golden Core Demon Slaying List for at least a decade, becoming the undisputed foremost cultivator of the Eastern Sea’s Golden Core stage, before even considering forming a Core. This passage of time was entirely worthwhile.

"Young Palace Master, a new cultivator appeared on last month's ranking at the 200-odd position!"

The two disciples exchanged a look, hesitating before speaking.

The young cultivator frowned, dismissing it with disdain. "Two hundred-odd? Why bring up such a cultivator! Haven't even cracked the top hundred—do they possess some special strength?"

"This person only appeared this month, reaching the 200-odd spot. Prior to this, he had no ranking whatsoever. He is, to date, the cultivator with the fastest ascent speed on the list. Many are now discussing that if this person maintains this pace, he might break into the top ten soon!" one disciple quickly clarified.

"Oh? Which Immortal Palace does this person hail from?" The young cultivator paused slightly before asking.

"This person is named Ye Qin, Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace. Intelligence gathered by our spies suggests he cultivates the Purple Sword Palace’s Grand Five Elements Sword Formation and is likely a Golden Core cultivator the Palace has kept hidden. As for why he remained inactive for the previous four years before suddenly making a move, the exact reason is yet unknown. However, some speculate it is closely tied to the struggle for the Northern Sect Master position within the Purple Sword Palace. With the Northern Sect Master still undecided, the competition between the Purple Sword Palace, Upper Soup Palace, and others has become fierce, making it difficult to distinguish victory on the Nascent Soul Demon Slaying List. Perhaps for this reason, the Purple Sword Palace shifted its focus to the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Last month, Ye Qin, the Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace, and Zhou Yi, the Young Palace Master, both made their move simultaneously, placing 213th and 770-odd respectively on the Golden Core Ranking. Both displayed formidable strength and are expected to challenge the top ten and top hundred soon."

The disciple spoke quickly, a hint of worry coloring his tone. His true concern was that this Elder from the Purple Sword Palace might indeed shake Li Qingyu’s top position, disrupting the Young Palace Master's critical effort to establish prestige among Golden Core cultivators.

"Is that so?"

Li Qingyu’s eyes flashed with sharp light. "Intriguing! It seems the top ten spots will see some reshuffling. I wonder which unlucky soul will be displaced this time!" (To be continued. For subsequent events, please log in to [Platform Name], where more chapters are available to support the author and genuine reading!)

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