# Chapter 1955: Top Ten Spots
Wang Zhong looked at the ten people before him. He temporarily set aside the top five experts on the Emperor's List. Ying Cheng and Ji Shang were Enfeoffed King level figures. Gui Li cultivated the evil and formidable Ghost God Scripture. The Stone Man Shi Yunfeng's strength was also extremely powerful. Adding in the Snow Clan's Xue Shenfeng, they would likely be very difficult to deal with. Excluding Chu Chunqiu as well, it seemed there were only three people left to choose from—the three at the back of the current Emperor's List top ten: Yin Gutian, Lin Feng, and Xie Yue.
As for launching a group attack, Wang Zhong had not considered it. These figures were already at the peak of the Emperor's List, the most outstanding dozen or so individuals in the entire Holy City Province. If he were to provoke several of them at once, that would be suicide.
Lin Feng had defeated Xie Yue. So if he were to choose, he would obviously eliminate Lin Feng first. Finally, he had to choose between Yin Gutian and Xie Yue. His gaze settled on Xie Yue, causing Xie Yue's eyes to turn extremely cold. He had already been defeated by Lin Feng once, and now this Wang Zhong was fixing his gaze on him again.
"This is outrageous!" Xie Yue's eyes flashed with icy killing intent. Then Wang Zhong reached out and swept his hand through the void. Instantly, suits of divine armor appeared in the air, radiating terrifying light. On those suits of armor, patterns seemed to continuously flicker and shine, dazzling and brilliant.
"Demon Erosion!" Xie Yue roared. In an instant, a Demon Erosion Fury Dragon appeared in the sky, roaring as it charged down to kill Wang Zhong, turning the space above him into darkness.
"Ten Thousand Armors' Light!" Wang Zhong shouted. Above his head, suits of divine armor flashed with brilliant radiance, forming an armor canopy that blocked the void. The Demon Erosion Fury Dragon crashed down, directly exploding into endless Demon Erosion power that surged madly toward Wang Zhong.
"Annihilate!" Wang Zhong shouted coldly. Instantly, a suit of armor released a light of annihilation, causing the Demon Erosion power to vanish without a trace. Wherever the light passed, everything was annihilated.
"Kill!" Wang Zhong waved his hand, and more suits of armor charged toward Xie Yue. One suit transformed into a terrifying sky-splitting great axe, containing immense Earth Power as it chopped down. At the same time, another suit turned into a dazzling blade light, as if wanting to cut heaven and earth in half, extremely eye-catching.
"Is this also the power of Dao?" Lin Feng stood on the Human Emperor Pillar beside Xie Yue, his eyes sharp as he watched Wang Zhong continuously unleash terrifying attacks. Wang Zhong was a strongman of the Fangtian Armor Clan, cultivating a unique armor technique. The Fangtian Armor Clan was a very peculiar ancient clan, somewhat similar to the Ancient Realm Clan, possessing special domain abilities. The Ancient Realm Clan excelled in Realm Force, while the Fangtian Clan excelled in armor techniques. This was the first time Lin Feng had seen such armor techniques—very formidable, with attacks that could change in countless ways, deriving various divine abilities with limitless power.
Xie Yue's Demon Erosion Dao was very dangerous, but its attacks were rather singular and easily countered. In this battle, it seemed Xie Yue would once again be knocked off the Human Emperor Pillar.
The battle between the two grew increasingly fierce. The sky was filled with all kinds of armor light and Demon Erosion-derived divine ability attacks. Wang Zhong advanced step by step, pressing closer to Xie Yue. Finally, when over a hundred suits of armor simultaneously unleashed their attacks, Xie Yue retreated from the Human Emperor Pillar, yielding the tenth spot on the Emperor's List.
Jin Xing stepped forward as well. He had already been pushed to the twelfth position on the Emperor's List—shameful. His eyes shot toward Yin Gutian, cold and dazzling.
The Golden Ancient Clan and the Silver Clan had always been two opposing ancient clans. Jin Xing and Yin Gutian were the outstanding figures of the Martial Emperor Realm in their respective clans. Many people compared them. Sure enough, after stepping forward, Jin Xing directly advanced toward the Human Emperor Pillar where Yin Gutian stood.
The aura on Yin Gutian's body surged madly. Chu Chunqiu had fought him and overwhelmingly knocked him off the Human Emperor Pillar—that was his disgrace. In this battle, he was determined to reclaim his honor. If he were knocked off again by Jin Xing, his face would be completely lost.
Brilliant golden light and dazzling silver light collided in the void. The Dao power comprehended by the Golden Ancient Clan was the Golden Shattering Dao, turning everything into gold and then causing it to explode and be destroyed. The Dao that Yin Gutian specialized in was diametrically opposed to Jin Xing's Dao. As long as it was covered by his silver light, it could melt and be destroyed.
Their battle was even more violent than the previous one between Wang Zhong and Xie Yue. Jin Xing directly came to the front of the Human Emperor Pillar and collided madly with Yin Gutian, fighting endlessly. It was also extremely brutal. One of Yin Gutian's arms was struck by the Golden Shattering Dao and directly exploded. Jin Xing fared no better—half his body was covered by silver light and then melted away. If he hadn't retreated quickly, his entire body would have been melted. That Dao intent was too dangerous.
"Jin Xing, you'd better go back and cultivate properly." Yin Gutian's eyes had completely turned silver. Around him, a pure silver light spread across heaven and earth, as if anyone who approached would be covered and wrapped by this silver light.
"Although Yin Gutian was forcefully pushed off the Human Emperor Pillar by Chu Chunqiu earlier, his strength is still very formidable. The Silver Clan and the Golden Ancient Clan are two opposing ancient clans. Yin Gutian's previous ranking was ahead of Jin Xing's. It seems the Human Emperor Palace's assessment wasn't wrong—Yin Gutian is indeed somewhat stronger than Jin Xing."
"I didn't expect to be squeezed out of the Emperor's List top ten." Jin Xing sighed, a trace of desolation flashing through his eyes. In this Emperor's List Dao Inquiry, he had hoped to advance a step, but instead, his final ranking was fixed at the twelfth position on the Emperor's List, three places behind his previous ranking.
"On the martial path, if you don't advance, you retreat. Even if your progress isn't fast enough, that's still regression." Hearing Jin Xing's words, the crowd sighed inwardly. It wasn't that he wasn't strong—it was just that others were more monstrous and stronger than him. Chu Chunqiu went without saying—he hadn't been in Holy City Province for long, yet he had just forcefully defeated Yin Gutian. Clearly, everyone believed that Chu Chunqiu had the formidable strength to contend for a top-five spot on the Emperor's List, or even higher.
And then there was Lin Feng, a once-unknown figure who became famous in a single battle on the day Ji Shang was enfeoffed as king. Now he also stood at the eighth position on the Emperor's List. No one knew if he could advance further. After all, Lin Feng was the only cultivator at the Spirit Martial Realm among the current Emperor's List top ten. It was hard to imagine how terrifying his talent was.
Now, Jin Xing, who held the twelfth position on the Emperor's List, was injured and lacked the strength to challenge the top ten figures again. Next came Xie Yue. He had been knocked down all the way, but he still had a chance to fight back and reclaim a top-ten spot. However, the crowd was not optimistic about Xie Yue. After all, Lin Feng, ranked eighth on the Emperor's List, and Wang Zhong, ranked tenth, had both stepped on him to enter the top ten. These two were already difficult for him to deal with. Yin Gutian was no pushover either. As for Chu Chunqiu and those ahead of him, Xie Yue hardly needed to consider them.
In the end, Xie Yue chose to challenge Yin Gutian, who currently held the eighth position on the Emperor's List. Yin Gutian's left arm had been destroyed by Jin Xing's Golden Shattering Dao, and he was already injured. Xie Yue chose to fight him, causing many to sigh inwardly. It seemed Xie Yue deserved to be squeezed out of the Emperor's List top ten. He didn't choose to challenge Lin Feng or Wang Zhong, who had knocked him down earlier. He lacked the courage for a comeback and a resilient heart.
Even against Yin Gutian, Xie Yue still lost. He couldn't knock Yin Gutian off. Therefore, Xie Yue's name was branded at the eleventh position on the Emperor's List, disqualifying him from competing for a top-ten spot.
At this moment, the ten spots of the Emperor's List top ten were confirmed. The temporary rankings were: Ying Cheng, Ji Shang, Gui Li, Battle Monk, Shi Yunfeng, Xue Shenfeng, Chu Chunqiu, Yin Gutian, Lin Feng, Wang Zhong.
The defeats of Jin Xing and Xie Yue had cost them the qualification to contend for the top ten.
The crowd's gazes swept across the golden Emperor's List in the void, then looked at the ten experts standing on the Human Emperor Pillars. These were the most outstanding geniuses of the Martial Emperor Realm in the entire Holy City Province. What would the final rankings be?
"Yin Gutian is injured. His ranking should be around eighth place. Wang Zhong should also be in one of these three positions. As for Lin Feng, his Dao might is strong, but the realm gap is there. It's too difficult for him to knock off Xue Shenfeng of the Snow Clan or the Stone Man. He'll probably also occupy one of the eighth to tenth positions. Not much fluctuation."
"Chu Chunqiu definitely has the strength to secure a top-five spot. As for who will be pushed down, it's hard to guess."
The crowd thought silently. After all, the several experts at the front had not yet truly unleashed their power, still giving off an unfathomable feeling. The battles to come would likely be true battles.
At this moment, Pei Donglai looked at the ten people before him. He had once stood in this position, on the Human Emperor Pillar, contending with peers of his generation. Now it was the turn of the next generation. This generation's figures were still astonishingly talented, no less than their generation.
"You ten, the top ten spots on the Emperor's List. I will call out names for Dao Inquiry, face-to-face combat. Each person has three opportunities. If you give up one opportunity, it means giving up one ranking. If you give up all three, your position will no longer change." Pei Donglai said slowly, then looked at Wang Zhong and said, "Wang Zhong, now, do you dare to inquire of Gui Li?"
Wang Zhong's pupils contracted. Then Pei Donglai continued, "If you inquire and win, you directly take his position. If you lose, your ranking is fixed at the Emperor's List top ten. If you give up, I will give you two more opportunities for inquiry later."
The crowd below the Human Emperor Platform all flashed sharp gazes. Such a cold inquiry rule. If Wang Zhong chose to fight and failed, he could only take the tenth spot. If he didn't fight, he still had a chance to inquire of those behind Gui Li.
"If you give up this opportunity, even if you achieve victories in later inquiries, you can no longer inquire of Gui Li or those ranked ahead of Gui Li." Pei Donglai's calm gaze rested on Wang Zhong. His first opportunity for inquiry was Gui Li, ranked third on the Emperor's List, causing Wang Zhong's heart to struggle!