Chapter 79: The Grand Finale (Vote and Support Requested)

Baidu Literature, Fantasy Editorial Department.

Liu Da had been exceptionally busy lately; the great master’s novel was approaching its grand finale, and every resource had to be perfectly arranged. On this particular day, as Liu Da was sneakily slacking off amidst his workload, a figure suddenly appeared behind him and tapped his shoulder, startling him so much he trembled.

“Are you out of your mind?” Liu Da snapped angrily at Wang Ke behind him.

Lately, Wang Ke had been acting rather arrogant, wandering over to Liu Da’s desk for no reason at all. So what if he had discovered a promising new writer? Was that really something to boast about?

When Liu Da himself had unearthed the great master, did he flaunt it? The answer was no.

Liu Da held Wang Ke’s airs in utter disdain.

Wang Ke, however, wasn’t offended. Smiling, he dragged over a spare office chair and sat beside Liu Da, chatting casually, “The master’s book is about to finish, isn’t it?”

“The master’s book may end, but there’s another one coming,” Liu Da replied coldly.

The two were bitter rivals, quick to clash at the slightest provocation.

“The master’s writing really is superb,” Wang Ke grinned. “Once the finale is published, the Storm Rankings will surely belong to ‘Boss’.”

‘Boss’ was the pen name of Wang Ke’s newly unearthed talent.

Boss’s command of the ‘waste-turned-hero’ genre was every bit as masterful as the great master. Ever since ‘Battle Through the Heavens’ became a sensation, countless authors had imitated its style. Opening with a canceled engagement had become standard fare, but Boss’s ‘Martial Movement of Heaven and Earth’ was different. Though it belonged to the same genre, it opened not with a broken engagement, but with the humiliation of the protagonist’s father and his quest for revenge.

Within the realm of the ‘waste-turned-hero’ stories, the great master was ranked first, Boss second.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Liu Da retorted, refusing to concede. “Though ‘Battle Through the Heavens’ is about to conclude, the master’s new novel will soon be released. The Storm Rankings will remain his domain.”

His words lacked conviction, for Li He had not revealed when his next book would debut.

While they bickered, Li He uploaded the revised final ten chapters.

Meanwhile, Zeng Ying, who had been waiting for this moment, immediately opened the update.

She was thrilled.

At last, the grand finale was here.

This was the most exhilarating novel Zeng Ying had ever followed. It began serialization in April, was put on paid release in May, and wrapped up by the end of July. Once it went paid, every month saw no less than eight hundred thousand words updated.

Sometimes, Zeng Ying even suspected the master had come from the future, directly copying a novel yet to be published, never needing to ponder the plot.

How else could he maintain an update rate of over twenty thousand words a day, while keeping the quality consistently outstanding?

“First place on the Heavenly Flame List,” Zeng Ying murmured, her heart full of anticipation.

Within ‘Battle Through the Heavens,’ all the heavenly flames had appeared except the unnamed flame ranked first. These were the final ten chapters, so Zeng Ying read with great care.

After a few minutes, her expression changed. “Kuoshe Ancient Emperor is the first heavenly flame?”

She avoided the comments, certain they’d spoil the plot. Though she was curious why the comment section was exploding today—nearly ten times the usual volume—she resisted the urge.

Zeng Ying pressed on.

Little Yi broke the stone statue’s seal, unleashing the emperor’s true essence.

Xiao Yan inherited the Ancient Emperor’s legacy.

Zeng Ying’s excitement grew. At last, Xiao Yan was about to ascend to the rank of Battle Emperor. Though she knew the protagonist would inevitably succeed, she still felt nervous.

When she read that Hun Tian Emperor, in pursuit of his own ascension, was willing to slaughter even his kin, her cheeks flushed red.

“Hun Tian Emperor is truly despicable. I wish I could skip ahead and see Xiao Yan destroy him!” Zeng Ying muttered angrily.

But she held back.

She kept reading.

Xiao Yan struggled to accept the Ancient Emperor’s legacy; before he could succeed, Hun Tian Emperor achieved his own ascension and emerged.

The coalition forces were powerless against the soul clan with their emperor-level supremacy.

Zeng Ying’s heart was in her throat, silently urging Xiao Yan to emerge—if he didn’t, everyone would be wiped out by the soul clan.

Her pleas were in vain; Hun Tian Emperor continued his one-sided massacre.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Xiao Yan finally emerged.

Radiant and unrivaled, he attained emperor status, equal to Hun Tian Emperor.

At this point, Zeng Ying nearly cried out—masterful control of catharsis! The author always left readers unable to tear themselves away.

Xiao Yan’s appearance brought hope to all the coalition forces; everyone cheered for their leader.

Zeng Ying was so exhilarated she clenched her fists.

As Xiao Yan summoned all the world’s flames, each name called forth another heavenly flame.

Zeng Ying shuddered—it was electrifying.

The battle between the two emperors had truly begun.

Zeng Ying noticed that after every paragraph, the number of chapter reviews was ninety-nine.

“Hiss!”

She was stunned.

She knew ‘Battle Through the Heavens’ was popular, but this was unprecedented. Every paragraph had ninety-nine reviews—astonishing.

Resisting the urge to click, she sped through the remaining chapters.

But as she read on, she realized something was off: despite gathering all the heavenly flames, Xiao Yan still couldn’t defeat Hun Tian Emperor.

Her frown deepened with every line. When she reached the end of the chapter, she couldn’t help but fling her phone away.

“Is this a joke? The protagonist is killed by the main villain?” Zeng Ying could hardly believe it. She climbed out of bed to retrieve her phone, scrolling forward to find one more chapter unread, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I knew it—how could the villain kill the protagonist?” Without hesitation, she began reading the final chapter.

And then, her phone flew through the air again.

Damn!

Zeng Ying was utterly crushed.

She would’ve been better off skipping the last chapter.

The battle between the two emperors ended with the protagonist Xiao Yan being sealed by Hun Tian Emperor, and the final chapter detailed how Hun Tian Emperor tortured and slaughtered Xiao Yan’s friends, wife, and family.

Damn it!

Was the master out of his mind?

Zeng Ying could no longer hold back—she swore aloud.

Only now did she understand why every paragraph in today’s update had ninety-nine reviews.

“I’ve never seen such a disgusting ending. The master must have written it this way just to spite the readers.”

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Was the master so arrogant, thinking he was too popular, deliberately driving readers away?

There must be something wrong with him.

Unable to restrain herself, Zeng Ying opened the comment section.

Instantly,

A wave of fury crashed over her.

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PS. Published first, revisions to follow. Please point out any errors.