Ye Chen felt a throbbing pain in the veins on his forehead, his blood churning as if the vessels inside his body were about to burst. The muscles in his shoulders trembled, feeling as though a massive mountain was pressing down on him, while cold sweat streamed down his back. Under the calm gaze of the Tianwu Nation Lord, he felt as though his very being was being disassembled.
Ye Chen’s face flushed red, and he staggered back several steps, immediately sensing the pressure surge like an overwhelming tide, one layer higher than the last. The immense pressure persisted until he retreated all the way outside the great hall before it finally stopped.
“Hmm?” A spark flashed in the Tianwu Nation Lord’s eyes. “You actually withstood it. Even a mid-tier Pseudo-God martial artist would vomit blood and die before my clone, yet you managed to endure it. Not bad!”
As the words fell, Ye Chen felt all the pressure on his body instantly lighten. The surging of his vital energy ceased, and his muscles relaxed. He realized his back was completely soaked with sweat, and he gasped for breath.
“This fellow,” the Tianwu Nation Lord smiled, looking at Ye Chen. “You carry the rare genes of a Heavenly Beast, yet you have no background, and still possess a Spirit Vessel!”
“Your fortune is quite good.”
The Tianwu Nation Lord smiled gently. “If you are willing to take me as your master, I shall accept you into the Tianwu Sect!”
Ye Chen did not hesitate and nodded. “I am willing!” Since the Tianwu Mountain was a supreme divine artifact created entirely by this Tianwu Nation Lord, everything within it must be under his control. Therefore, it was not surprising that he knew of Ye Chen’s uniqueness.
The Tianwu Nation Lord sized Ye Chen up, then burst into hearty laughter. “Good, good! From this day forward, you are a disciple of my Tianwu Sect. You shall remain here to cultivate. Once you reach the Spirit God realm, I will allow you to leave.”
Ye Chen froze for a moment, a frown forming on his brow.
The Tianwu Nation Lord arched an eyebrow. “What? You’re unwilling? You should know that within my Tianwu Realm, there is Chaos Qi Flow, and the Six Great Secret Realms… they contain cosmic energy. Ordinary Demigods, spending just ten thousand years here, can cultivate to the peak of the Pseudo-God realm!”
“The time dilation here is 10 times faster than the outside world!”
“With your aptitude, plus my resources, it will only take a thousand years to reach the peak Pseudo-God realm, after which you can independently comprehend the cosmic laws and step into the Spirit God stage.”
The time dilation was actually 100 times!
Ye Chen murmured, “It’s not that your disciple is unwilling, it’s because your disciple has urgent matters and cannot stay long.”
The Tianwu Nation Lord looked intrigued. “What matter is so important that you would forsake such a great opportunity?”
Ye Chen was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly, “Your disciple wishes to go to the Bright Empire to find someone.”
“Oh?” The Tianwu Nation Lord looked deeply at Ye Chen. “A woman?”
Ye Chen nodded silently.
The Tianwu Nation Lord sighed lightly, a touch of aged sorrow in his voice, murmuring, “In this world… the hardest thing to decipher is the character for ‘Emotion’ (Qing). I have cultivated for countless eons, seen through the cosmic laws, and understood all moral principles, yet I can never see through this ‘Emotion’…”
Ye Chen remained silent for a short while before bowing his head. “I implore Master to agree.”
The Tianwu Nation Lord glanced at him and nodded slightly. “Very well. However, the journey from here to the Bright Empire is long and fraught with unknown hardships. With your current strength, you would struggle to protect yourself from mere bandits and bullies outside!”
“Moreover…”
“On this Ancient Continent, there are places so perilous that even Spirit Gods who enter them are utterly annihilated.”
Ye Chen’s expression became solemn, his reply firm. “No matter what, I must go!”
The Tianwu Nation Lord nodded, then suddenly flicked his palm, tossing out a talisman. It was blank, without any writing, and floated smoothly before Ye Chen. “This is a simplified map of the Ancient Continent. The continent is vast, and the powers within it are intricately entangled. If you wander aimlessly, you will easily get lost. This map will make things easier for you.”
Ye Chen was completely stunned.
All sound suddenly vanished.
There was only the blank talisman before him, emitting a faint glow. Slowly, Ye Chen raised his hand, accepted the blank talisman, and then lowered his head. After a moment, he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, echoing throughout the entire hall, “In the future, if Master requires anything of your disciple, your disciple will certainly do their utmost!”
The corner of the Tianwu Nation Lord’s mouth curved into a smile. “Your current strength is too weak. If you wish to aid me, then go surpass the Spirit God realm!”
Ye Chen nodded silently.
Surpass the Spirit God realm?
Across the entire Ancient Continent, countless living beings existed, but those capable of surpassing the Spirit God realm were exceedingly rare, like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, requiring immeasurable time to achieve. By then, the life-extending time granted by the Dragon Essence Grass would surely have run out, right?
If even the person he loved most was gone, what purpose was there in remaining in this world?
He smiled bitterly in his heart.
Ye Chen felt bound to hold the Tianwu Nation Lord’s immense kindness in his heart. He nodded and stated resolutely, “I certainly will!”
The Tianwu Nation Lord smiled faintly, flicked his finger, and a black bead flew out, drifting toward Ye Chen. “If you encounter danger, crush this bead. Within it resides a trace of my clone, possessing the cultivation of a peak Spirit God. It will be sufficient to help you escape peril!”
Ye Chen was silent for a moment before grasping the black bead.
The Tianwu Nation Lord smiled. “With my abilities, I could elevate you to the Spirit God realm with just a fraction of my power. However, this would not be your own achievement; your foundation would ultimately be unstable, which would only harm you!”
“The path of cultivation, the master is the lamp!”
“I hope you understand that ultimately, you must rely on your own efforts!”
Ye Chen nodded. “Yes!”
The Tianwu Nation Lord flipped his hand, revealing a black token. It exuded waves of mysterious energy, seemingly stone yet not stone, gold yet not gold, radiating a dense aura of chaos, appearing to contain the essence of heaven and earth, making one feel suffocated.
“This is the Tianwu Token!” The Tianwu Nation Lord waved his hand, tossing the token to Ye Chen. “With this token, you will have unrestricted passage through all major cities within my Tianwu Realm, and all space-jumping fees will be waived. Furthermore, you will receive a ninety percent discount in all official city shops!”
“Seeing the Tianwu Token is like seeing me in person. Any city under my domain, its City Lord will personally greet you.”
Ye Chen took the Tianwu Token. The token was extremely light, seemingly weightless. He examined it and found that wisps of profound mystery enveloped the entire object.
“You may leave now. When you face mortal peril, simply crush that bead. I will sense it and draw you back here.” The Tianwu Nation Lord pointed a finger, and a swirling black hole materialized out of thin air in the hall, leading to the outside world.
Ye Chen looked at him silently for a moment, then gave the Tianwu Nation Lord one last deep look before stepping toward the swirling vortex.
Shua!
His figure vanished into the vortex, and the entire black hole slowly contracted into particles of light before disappearing.
The great hall returned to its eternal, unwavering silence. In this stillness, the hall, carved by wind and frost, appeared somewhat desolate.
“I hope this gamble was the right one…” The Tianwu Nation Lord gazed into the distant void. “Such strength, yet such fortune. Let alone him, even in my eight cycles of reincarnation, I have only been fortunate enough to witness a Heavenly Beast once!”
“This child’s fortune is overwhelmingly dense; it must have been orchestrated by the Ancient World. Which mighty figure blessed him with such immense destiny? If he is a reincarnated soul, his previous life must have been a being whose power was no less than mine!”
“May I not have misjudged him…” “Grow, awaken sooner…”
The entire realm seemed tinged with a sigh.
Above Tianzhou City, within the protective light shield.
Hwa!
A black hole materialized out of nowhere, and a figure stepped out, clad in black robes that billowed in the wind, black hair dancing wildly against the current, coldly surveying the area below.
Ye Chen moved, walking toward the city gates.
The gate guards saw Ye Chen and swiftly moved to intercept him. One Pseudo-God guard spoke coldly, “Pay the city entry fee, or present your residency permit!”
Ye Chen flipped his hand, activating the runic space. Xiao Hei, Kabba, and the others appeared around him. The Puppet Legion consisted of fifteen early-stage Pseudo-God powerhouses, one True Void God realm expert, and two mid-stage Pseudo-Gods!
The Black Silk Worm Legion totaled over eighty members, including eight late-stage Pseudo-God experts and seventy-two early-stage Pseudo-God experts!
Ye Chen flipped his hand again, and the Tianwu Token appeared, radiating a dense black aura that caused the surrounding air to spin around it, creating streaks of black trails.
Around the token were inlaid many ferocious, grasping strange dragons and exotic phoenixes, with a powerful, ancient seal of “Wu” at the center! The moment the guard saw the Tianwu Token, his face changed drastically, filled with terror, and he stared blankly at Ye Chen. “The, the Tianwu Divine Emissary?”
Ye Chen said coldly, “Summon the City Lord!”
The guard swallowed hard, carefully re-examining the Tianwu Token. He quickly turned and trotted over to report to a captain standing nearby, who possessed peak Pseudo-God cultivation. The captain, a burly man, glanced over, his expression shifting slightly. He quickly whispered a few words before swiftly activating the communicator on his wrist.
The guard jogged back toward Ye Chen, looking at him with reverence and speaking respectfully, “Divine Emissary sir, please wait a moment. The City Lord will be here shortly. Perhaps you would care to rest in one of our private villas?”
Ye Chen nodded slightly.
The guard immediately led the way.
Xiao Hei whistled. “So useful! A single token scared them like that? I’ll try doing that next time.”
Kabba shot him a look. “Do you think the Tianwu Token is easy to forge? Within the Tianwu Realm, impersonating a Tianwu Emissary is a capital offense!”
“What are you afraid of? They don’t check anyway,” Xiao Hei said dismissively.
Kabba sneered, “That’s because they know no one is stupid enough to seek death intentionally.”
Xiao Hei became furious. “You’re the one with water in your brain!” Kabba retorted indifferently, “My puppet is waterproof.”
“Then you’ll get into shit!”
“Don’t get agitated. I know you have bugs in your brain.”
“…”
Soon, led by the guard, Ye Chen and his entourage entered the city and arrived at a unique, elegant villa. White railings adorned the surroundings, intricately carved, with fragrant flowers and plants. The architecture inside resembled peaks, standing straight and tall.