CHAPTER 49:The Top Ten Starts to Debut!

The vision of the Fighting Continent was still playing.

With the flicker of the screen, thousands of years passed in an instant.

Proud of geniuses, maddened by trash, arrogant from youth! A fallen prodigy, rising from ruin, climbing upstream with relentless resolve! The young eagle had grown and now soared across the skies!

In just two to three decades, the young man named Xiao Huohuo had ascended to become a supreme powerhouse of his world. A calamity loomed—one incited by the Dark Heavenly Emperor of the Soul World. As the world teetered on the brink of annihilation, Xiao Huohuo emerged, standing tall against the despair.

That battle shattered countless lesser realms, split the sky, and sent tremors through time itself.

"In the name of Emperor Yan, I will pardon all flames under the heavens! Obey the command of this emperor!"

"Wan Huo, return to your place!"

The Dark Heavenly Emperor had lifted the entire Central Continent, along with the Three Thousand Minor Worlds, seeking their destruction. But the one known as Xiao Huohuo invoked his will and summoned all Heavenly Flames across the world to him.

"I am Different Fire Incarnate! I seal you for a thousand years, Dark Heavenly Emperor! The era of your catastrophe ends now!"

Their earth-splitting battle approached its conclusion. Xiao Huohuo's power had outgrown the Fighting Continent. When the dust settled, the void shattered behind him as he soared away, ascending beyond realms.

The audience across the heavens, having witnessed the entire arc of his rise through the rankings, were shaken. The climactic battle of the two Emperors was both exhilarating and devastating, leaving all breathless.

They found themselves unconsciously immersed, emotionally tethered to Xiao Huohuo's story—his heartbreaks, triumphs, and the sharp edge of his defiance.

"I get it now… This is Xiao Huohuo! He alone carried the Fighting Continent into the top rankings!"

"If not for him, that continent wouldn't even qualify for the top thirty!"

"He's not just a warrior of that world… He is the world's pride incarnate!"

"Some are shaped by the world. Others shape the world. Xiao Huohuo is the latter."

Cries of awe resounded. The Fighting Continent's placement at number twenty made perfect sense now. Emperor Yan—Xiao Yan—was no ordinary mortal.

—

In the Universal World.

"Damn it! That guy—the Dark Heavenly Emperor—became a Dou Emperor without me?" Xutian Shenhuo's eyes bulged.

"What's even crazier is that he got taken down by a brat who hasn't even trained for thirty years? This defies reason!"

"Who the hell is this Xiao Huohuo? Is he from the Xiao Clan of the Eight Ancient Clans? He's... way too brutal!"

Muttering to himself, a mix of disbelief and relief washed over Xutian Shenhuo. If he hadn't slipped away back then, he'd have ended up as another victim of the same Emperor.

"This Xiao Huohuo doesn't feel like a human at all!"

Though he cursed outwardly, in his heart he was silently glad.

Still, he couldn't help but act arrogant: "The Dark Heavenly Emperor really was nothing without me. If I were still around, would Xiao Huohuo even stand a chance at rising?"

Without me, that so-called Soul Heavenly Emperor couldn't accomplish anything.

He let out a theatrical sigh.

Shen Lian watched from the side and smiled quietly. He had long since divined the Void God Fire's fate. Ironically, the one he now mocked—Dark Heavenly Emperor—was the one who had consumed him in an alternate future.

In another timeline, Void God Fire had served the Dark Emperor loyally, only to be devoured and become nothing more than fuel. It was a tragic fate.

"You want to go back to the Dou Qi Continent?" Shen Lian asked, amused. "I can send you back, if that's what you truly want."

Void God Fire panicked.

"Whoa! Your Majesty Emperor Lian! Don't joke like that, okay?!"

Facing someone like Xiao Yan, that'd be suicide!

Shen Lian chuckled and let the topic drop.

—

In the Dou Qi World.

"Twentieth? Not bad."

Xiao Huohuo, standing amid a collapsing void on the verge of ascending to the Great Thousand World, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He hadn't expected his world to rank that high. To be in the top twenty among all the heavens was already a tremendous honor.

"I thank the heavens' list. I, Xiao Yan, am humbled to be recognized."

He sent a thought barrage across the list of the heavens, acknowledging the ranking with grace before turning his gaze to the vast sky.

Two mysteries still haunted him.

The first: the unexplained disappearance of the past War Great Emperors of the Fighting Continent—every one of them except the Dark Heavenly Emperor had vanished without a trace.

The second: the disappearance of the Void God Fire, hundreds of years ago.

The Void God Fire—second on the Divine Flame List—could devour all matter. Back then, it led the Soul Hall to wipe out several of the Eight Ancient Clans, targeting the Xiao Clan as its next victim.

They had already reached the Xiao Clan's Minor World gates.

But a shadowy figure descended between heaven and earth, annihilated the Soul Hall with a single movement, and sealed the Void God Fire.

At that time, Void God Fire had already reached the peak of the Nine-Star War Saint realm—just a step away from the War Great Emperor level. In the Dou Qi World, there were barely any beings capable of matching him.

Yet, the unknown figure suppressed him with ease. That strength was beyond comprehension.

This mysterious savior had rescued the Xiao Clan from annihilation and preserved the Dou Qi World's balance. The Dark Heavenly Emperor's rise was even delayed by a full decade due to that event.

"This man saved the Xiao Clan. I must find him. Repaying this kindness is my duty," Xiao Yan resolved.

With a bang, he stepped forward, entering the void tunnel that led beyond the realm.

—

At that moment…

[Ranking of the Heavens and Worlds, No. 19: Heaven-Defying Evil God!]

[Ranking No. 18: Breaking the Heavens and Saving the World!]

[Ranking No. 17: Extreme Dao Demon Realm!]

[Ranking No. 16: The World Where Ten Thousand Races Doom the Land!]

[Ranking No. 15: Realm of the Shura God of War!]

…

…

[Ranking No. 11: The First Gods of the Ages Realm!]

The announcements continued as the list of the heavens revealed more worlds. Debates erupted—no realm acknowledged the others' supremacy without protest.

But as the announcement neared the top ten, a hush swept across the multiverse.

Billions held their breath. All eyes turned to the glowing golden ancient list in the sky.

Everyone knew what came next.

The true overlords of the heavens and myriad worlds were about to be revealed!