Chaotic Sword God

1961-1970

Chapter 1961: Princess Tai'an

Princess Tai'an bowed within a luxurious residential palace with a faint smile on her face. She seemed to be composed and leisurely, without appearing stiff for rules at all.

Before her stood a graceful, dignified woman behind a screen. The screen obscured her appearance, only revealing a blurry figure.

She was the empress of the Xi Empire.

"Oh, it's Xian'er. I've just returned, and you've come to see me. You sure receive news fast," the empress said from behind the screen. Her voice was kind and filled with warmth.

"A lot of things have happened in the empire during this time. I was afraid that aunt's mood would be affected, so I especially came to spend some time," said princess Tai'an. She seemed considerate, and at the same time, there was a sense of concern in her voice.

"Sigh," the empress sighed gently as if there was something indescribable and sorrowful affecting her mood. She seemed rather dispirited at that moment and said, "Xian'er, come. Let's talk."

"Yes, aunt!"

Princess Tai'an slowly made her way over and went around the screen, sitting beside the empress liberally.

"Oh right. Aunt, in the days that you were gone, an extremely surprising supreme Overgod appeared in our northern region," said princess Tai'an. The light in her eyes flickered as she paid close attention to the empress' face.

Seeing how the empress did not react too violently, she continued, "Although this supreme Overgod isn't a member of our northern region, he really is powerful. I think there's probably no one in the entire northern region that can rival this supreme Overgod because he can defeat a Godking as an Overgod."

"I also heard that the Godking was no ordinary Godking, but the disciple of a large sect from the Xuandao Empire."

"What is even more surprising is after the Overgod defeated the Godking, he was not injured at all. Aunt, don't you think this Overgod is powerful?"

The empress' expression remained the same. She nodded slightly, "To fight a Godking as an Overgod and achieve victory. That's right, he is indeed a supreme Overgod with surprising potential. This strength might even be enough to rival the person ranked first on the Overgods' Plaque."

"Even aunt thinks so. Hehe, I also think that this supreme Overgod has the right to challenge the person ranked first on the Overgods' Plaque," princess Tai'an smiled sweetly. Soon afterwards, she seemed to think of something, and she suddenly took out an embroidered box from her Space Ring. She said, "Oh right. Aunt, when I visited this supreme Overgod last time, he said to give this box to aunt or uncle."

Reaching this point, the princess paused. She stared at the box in her hand and said in thought, "Inside must be a gift from the supreme Overgod for aunt and uncle."

The empress frowned when she heard that. She said, "Xian'er, how can you accept anyone's gift for me? It's not like you don't understand this. You better return this box to that person."

The empress left no room for argument with how dignified her voice was.

"This-" The princess became slightly troubled. When she thought about how stern Jian Chen was when he gave the box to her, she understood that the item inside would definitely be special.

However, she understood the temperament of the empress extremely well. Since the empress was unwilling to take the gift, anything she tried would be a futile effort.

"Yes, aunt. I understand," the princess became rather dejected. She stowed the box away unhappily and left the empress' residence before long.

However, the princess did not forget what Jian Chen had told her before. She only needed to give it to the empress or the Xi Emperor.

Since the empress did not want it, she went to find the Xi Emperor.

With princess Tai'an's status, seeing the Xi Emperor was naturally no problem. Very soon, she arrived in the Xi Emperor's study room.

When princess Tai'an met the supreme emperor of the Xi Empire, the famed ruler who had basically caused an upheaval through the entire empire when he ascended to the throne was sitting back in a precious chair sculpted from crystal that had depictions of dragons. He propped up his forehead with one hand as he rested.

However, there was heavy exhaustion on his dignified and resolute face.

"It's Xian'er. Xian'er, is there anything you need me for?" the Xi Emperor said. His voice was filled with warmth. He did not move his posture in the chair at all. He did not even open his eyes.

At that moment, the Xi Emperor no longer possessed his usual coldness or his usual awe. He only seemed like a lonely and injured soul.

"Uncle," princess Tai'an hesitated when she saw how exhausted the Xi Emperor was. She originally wanted to give Jian Chen's box to him, but she found it rather difficult to bring herself to do something like that after seeing how exhausted he was.

"Uncle's lost daughter has always weighed on his heart during these years. He is mentally and psychologically torn. Now that he has finally gotten some time to rest, am I really going to disturb him?" The princess thought. In the end, she sighed inside and did not choose to take out the box at this time.

Fairy Hao Yue had returned to the Tian Yuan clan in the Dong'an province with Jian Chen and everyone else. They had originally departed soundlessly, without raising any attention, so they did the same when they returned.

"There'll probably be a lot of movements from the Empyrean Demon Cult soon since they lost the nine blood beads and soul beads. You have to be careful. You mustn't reveal any traces at all, or no one will be able to save you," fairy Hao Yue personally cast down a barrier in a secret room deep underground and warned them sternly.

At this moment, the Empyrean Demon Orb suddenly drifted out of Houston's sea of consciousness. It shone with dazzling red light. In the next moment, ten thumb-sized beads drifted out.

The ten beads were five soul beads and five blood beads. They drifted towards Jian Chen, Houston, Shen Jian, Sacredfeather, and fairy Hao Yue.

"The artifact spirit of the Empyrean Demon Orb has told me that it's gifting these blood beads and soul beads to everyone to thank you all for your help." Houston passed on the artifact spirit's message, "Although these blood beads and soul beads were condensed from the blood and energy of souls from countless lives, the beads have already become the purest crystal after the formations refined them for so many years. As a result, absorbing the energy from them won't leave any side effects behind."

Fairy Hao Yue stared at the blood beads and soul beads and studied them seriously. She nodded, "That's right. The beads have already been refined for so many years that all factors of evil and unstable elements have been eliminated. The beads have become great nourishment, which can increase your strength by quite a lot." Fairy Hao Yue glanced at Jian Chen when she said that. Afterwards, she swung her arm and sent the beads that had drifted before her to Jian Chen. She said, "These beads are useless to me. You take them."

Jian Chen looked at the beads. He hesitated. Although the blood and soul beads were extremely nourishing, enough for the cultivation of a person to skyrocket, they were still condensed from the essence of blood and energy of souls from countless people. To him, only demonic cultivators would use objects like this to cultivate.

Chapter 1962: The Empyrean Demon Cult Retreats

Shen Jian and Sacredfeather also became hesitant as they looked at the blood and soul beads. Like Jian Chen, they did not accept the beads.

A while later, Shen Jian said, "Although I'm not a part of any righteous way, I don't belong to any demonic path either. The Empyrean Demon Cult has slaughtered countless individuals, using their lives to condense these beads. Even if they can greatly increase the cultivation of a person, I would be no different from a person who walks the demonic path if I use them." With that, the two beads before Shen Jian returned to Houston. He said sternly, "Houston, these things don't suit me. However, you practise a demonic cultivation method, so there should be nothing wrong with you using it. As a result, I'll gift these beads to you."

Shen Jian had spoken these words firmly. Even though the beads could greatly increase his cultivation, they did not entice Shen Jian at all.

"Shen Jian is right. These beads are indeed unsuitable for us. After all, we do not walk a demonic path of cultivation while our cultivation methods aren't from a demonic path either. If we use something that was condensed from the blood and souls of countless lives to cultivate, it'll affect our mental state. If it's severe, it might even lead to inner demons, which will affect our future cultivation." Jian Chen also gifted his beads to Houston. Even though formations had refined the beads, removing all the evil and unstable impurities from them, their origins were still a little too vicious.

Jian Chen had his morales. If the beads came from magical beasts or other vicious beasts, he would naturally have no problem with them. After all, he had already accepted such an idea.

However, the beads did not come from magical beasts, so he was unable to accept it.

"I don't need it either. Uncle Xiu, it's best if you take them for yourself," said Sacredfeather as well, giving his beads to Houston.

Houston looked at the four soul beads and blood beads that hovered before him. After hesitating slightly, he said, "Alright then. Since you all don't need it, I won't hold back. I'll accept them for the Empyrean Demon Orb for now. These items are very useful to the Empyrean Demon Orb."

"Why would a god artifact need these items?" Fairy Hao Yue stared at Houston and asked steadily.

Houston shook his head, "Actually, I find this very strange as well. The Empyrean Demon Orb has simply surprised me too much in our trip to the headquarters."

Fairy Hao Yue stared at Houston deeply and said, "Your Empyrean Demon Orb is probably not as simple as it seems. I'd tell you to use it as little as possible, and if you can, abandon it, just in case it dooms you."

Houston immediately became solemn. He knew that as a terrifyingly powerful Primordial realm expert, fairy Hao Yue definitely would not give groundless advice.

Afterwards, fairy Hao Yue looked at Jian Chen again. She said, "I'm going to leave. What happened in the Empyrean Demon Cult will definitely alarm the upper echelons. If I stay, it'll only lead to more trouble for you. You have to be careful in the future." With that, fairy Hao Yue hesitated slightly. Afterwards, she said to Jian Chen secretly, "I suspect that the Empyrean Demon Orb is somehow connected to the Empyrean Demon Cult, but I don't know whether it's good or bad."

Jian Chen nodded slightly to show that he understood. In reality, he also had suspected that.

After all, the formations that guarded the blood beads and soul beads were so powerful that even Chaotic Primes would probably be doomed if they entered, yet the Empyrean Demon Orb was able to move through such terrifying formations freely. It simply did not make sense.

If the Empyrean Demon Orb was a god artifact that specialised in suppressing formations, it would be explainable at the very least.

However, Jian Chen had learnt from the sword spirits that the Empyrean Demon Orb was the famed treasure of the strongest Demon Monarch of the Demons' World, the Empyrean Demon Monarch. It could both attack and defend, but there were no rumors of it being able to suppress formations.

As a result, this could only be explained as the formations in the headquarters of the Empyrean Demon Cult had been set up in a special manner, where they would be useless against the Empyrean Demon Orb.

However, the part that Jian Chen did not understand was that one came from the Demons' World, while the other was in the Saints' World. Why would they be connected?

Jian Chen did not think too much of the name, as who knows how many people who shared the same names and surnames existed in the world. It just happened too frequently.

After a simple farewell, fairy Hao Yue vanished silently from the secret room.

In the secret room, Jian Chen had stated his doubts over why the Empyrean Demon Orb could move through the formation so easily. Unfortunately, Houston also had no idea because he had only been following the orders of the artifact spirit in the Empyrean Demon Orb.

However, when Houston asked the artifact spirit, it told him that it had seen the formations before, so it knew the method to go through them.

Clearly, everyone did not believe this answer, as Houston and the artifact spirit had never undergone any procedure to get through the formation. Instead, they had directly swaggered in, passing through in a straight line.

"The artifact spirit of the Empyrean Demon Orb is hiding secrets from us," thought Jian Chen. Then, he took our a Space Ring and passed it to Houston. He said sternly, "Uncle Xiu, it's no longer safe for you to stay here with the soul beads and blood beads. There are some divine crystals in there. You have to go to the Heavenly Moon Empire as soon as possible and then go to the Blood Sun Empire through a teleportation formation there. Then, you need to use a regional teleportation formation to go to the central region."

"The central region is much more powerful than the four other regions. You should be much safer there, so use this opportunity to increase your strength."

Houston also understood the severity of the matter. He did not turn down Jian Chen's offer. He immediately left the Tian Yuan clan after bidding farewell to everyone.

He had obtained the blood and soul beads, so the matter that took priority was naturally increasing his own strength as soon as possible. Now that the Empyrean Demon Cult had lost such treasures, it would be extremely likely that they would send even more terrifying experts here.

The senses of the souls from Primordial realm experts were so terrifying that no matter how well he hid in the southern region, he would not be able to escape a Primordial realm expert's search. Once the beads were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Houston left through the teleportation formation in the forbidden grounds of the clan. In order to avoid any suspicion, Jian Chen, Shen Jian, and Sacredfeather immediately charged for the front lines.

Now, the ceasefire period was just about to end. A huge army had gathered on the side of the divine kingdom once again, standing on the reconstructed walls in the face of the enemy.

The soldiers of the three armies gathered several dozen kilometers away from the fortress.

Where they gathered, demonic aura formed thick, black clouds, causing the world there to descend into darkness.

On the castle walls, many Godkings gathered on the side of the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian. However, their attitudes towards Jian Chen had changed drastically when they saw him this time. They all greeted him with smiles.

Jian Chen looked at them and discovered some unfamiliar faces. After a simple introduction, he learnt that they were reinforcements from the empires in the southern region.

However, their enthusiasm left Jian Chen rather troubled. Even if they knew there was a Primordial realm expert behind him, there was no need for them to behave like this.

"Jian Chen, I never thought you would defeat a Godking in the northern region. That really was shocking," the divine king made his way over and smiled at Jian Chen.

Only with that did Jian Chen understand. His victory over a Godking in the northern region had already spread to here.

"Hmm? Look, the Empyrean Demon Cult seems to be retreating," a Godking said in surprise from the castle walls.

Everyone immediately redirected their attention away from Jian Chen, staring up ahead at the camp of the three armies.

With their eyes, they were naturally able to see what was happening several dozen kilometers away clearly in such an open area.

Jian Chen also clearly saw the three armies camped there. They were actually retreating at this moment, gradually disappearing from everyone's view.

Chapter 1963: Visiting the Earth Spirit Sect (One)

The Empyrean Demon Cult's sudden retreat had greatly confused the Godkings who stood on the wall.

After half a month of preparation, they were all ready for battle. They had made up their minds to fight a prolonged battle against the Empyrean Demon Cult. However, just when the agreed ceasefire was about to end, and they were about to continue their war, the Empyrean Demon Cult that had the upper hand was suddenly retreating.

This surprising move had bewildered the Godkings on the walls. They had no idea why this was happening.

Even the divine king revealed doubt and confusion as he stared at the armies that had already retreated into the distance.

"They've retreated? The Empyrean Demon Cult is just going to retreat like this? Surely there isn't some scheme involved, right?" A Godking said from the walls as he watched everything unfold with quite some disbelief.

"I know how the Empyrean Demon Cult acts extremely well. With the support of the great elder, the Empyrean Demon Cult can rampage as they wish on the Cloud Plane. They can destroy whatever they want. It's exactly because of the great elder behind them that the powerful organisations on the Cloud Plane dare not to lay their hands on the Empyrean Demon Cult. As a result, the Empyrean Demon Cult has created several storms of blood in the past several tens of thousand years, committing atrocities of massacres. In particular, the invasion this time could be regarded as unprecedented. Not only were all nine armies mobilised, but they even attacked three regions at the same time and even their vice-leaders set out. This is extremely rare. They would never retreat so easily unless their goals were fulfilled," said a sagely old man with a duster.

"That's right. The retreat of the Empyrean Demon Cult will definitely be more complicated than it seems. We can't become careless," said another Godking.

The Godkings on the walls all stated their thoughts and guesses. However, none of them believed the Empyrean Demon Cult was truly retreating.

Even the divine king thought of it like that.

This was because the Empyrean Demon Cult was used to using force. Coupled with the size of their army this time, it was impossible for them to retreat willingly unless they caused a massacre enough to shock the entire Cloud Plane based on how they acted in the past.

Among them, only Jian Chen, Shen Jian, and Sacredfeather knew that the retreat of the Empyrean Demon Cult was not for some ulterior motives or schemes. They were really retreating.

However, Jian Chen also had no idea how long the nine armies would remain inactive.

He understood the secret behind why the Empyrean Demon Cult had been declaring wars everywhere from his trip to the headquarters. Now that the nine blood beads and soul beads that the Empyrean Demon Cult had spent who knows how long on had been stolen, there were only two possible actions they could take next.

First, they could give up on the wars and devote themselves to finding the blood and soul beads.

Secondly, they could continue waging wars and condense the beads again.

"I hope uncle Xiu can reach the central region safely. It's just a pity that I don't have enough five-colored divine crystals on me. Otherwise, I would have gotten uncle Xiu to directly leave the Cloud Plane and go somewhere else. It would be even safer with that," thought Jian Chen. He could only pray for uncle Xiu right now, as he was unable to offer any other support.

Just as everyone was discussing the withdrawal of the Empyrean Demon Cult, they received a shocking piece of news. The Empyrean Demon Cult had sent groups of people to the surrounding divine kingdoms to engage in wanton massacres, leading to an endless slaughter once again. It filled many cities and provincial cities with blood, and no one was spared wherever they passed by.

Even a few royal capitals of divine kingdoms had suffered this fate, with all the people there completely massacred by the Empyrean Demon Cult. The Godkings who guarded the divine kingdoms were slain by several protectors from the Empyrean Demon Cult as well.

In the end, three divine kingdoms that neighbored the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian were destroyed. The other divine kingdoms suffered losses of varying degrees as well.

The Godkings who stood on the walls fumed when they received the news.

The divine king sighed gently. There was some helplessness on his face. He said nothing.

The light in Jian Chen's eyes flickered. He analysed to himself, "In terms of time, the Empyrean Demon Cult moved exactly when fairy Hao Yue infiltrated the headquarters. Clearly, they wanted to gather some more blood and energy of souls so that they could increase the quality of the blood and soul beads. It shouldn't be for recondensing the blood and soul beads."

Afterwards, the coalition army on the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian's side remained on high vigilance. They did not leave the fortress at all. Half a month later, when a Godking risked his life by approaching ten thousand kilometers from the headquarters of the Empyrean Demon Cult did they receive accurate information. Only then did they truly believe the Empyrean Demon Cult had withdrawn.

The divine king and the reinforcing Godkings were all relieved when they received the reliable information. The divine king immediately clasped his fist at everyone. He said amicably but no less dignified, "Everyone, looks like the war this time has truly ended. I am grateful for all your assistance and reinforcement."

"You are too polite, your majesty. The Empyrean Demon Cult is vicious. Against such a horrible cult, we should unite together against them," an old man clasped his fist at the divine king and said extremely politely. He was an elder of the Earth Spirit sect.

Of course, he was not one of the three elders who had come to the divine kingdom initially. Instead, he belonged to the second wave of reinforcements.

Then, the elder looked at Jian Chen, and he said apologetically, "Brother Jian Chen, I hope you don't take offence from what those disappointing disciples of our Earth Spirit sect did to you." The old man sighed gently after reaching this point, "It's just a pity that many of our disciples have fallen on the battlefield, or our Earth Spirit sect will definitely punish them severely so that we can provide an explanation to brother Jian Chen."

All the Godkings who stood on the walls looked at Jian Chen and the elder from the Earth Spirit sect.

They had heard about Jian Chen's grievance with the Earth Spirit sect. If Jian Chen was a supreme Overgod who could barely manage to make it onto the Overgods' Plaque, there would be no need for the Earth Spirit sect to worry too much even if they had to take him seriously with their strength.

However, he was a supreme Overgod with shocking strength, someone who could challenge the person who ranked first on the Overgods' Plaque. That changed the situation completely because an Overgod like that could fend off Godkings, and if they broke through to Godking, they would be able to make it onto the Godkings' Throne.

It was rumored that those who ranked within the top ten on the Godkings' Throne possessed extremely shocking strength that was enough to fend off early Infinite Primes.

As a matter of fact, they could even accomplish the shocking feat of killing regular Infinite Primes as Godkings.

Moreover, it was revealed that a Primordial realm expert was supporting Jian Chen through the matters with Yaxi Lian. The Earth Spirit sect was naturally reluctant to offend someone like that.

Jian Chen remained indifferent under the attention of all the Godkings from different organisations. He said, "This matter isn't really related to the dead disciples of the Earth Spirit sect. The true suspect is someone else. It's impossible for a few disciples to possess something as precious as a Godking level talisman."

The elder's face immediately froze from that. He sighed gently and said nothing else. After bidding farewell to the divine king, he left with the disciples of the Earth Spirit sect.

He knew that the grievances between the Earth Spirit sect and Jian Chen could not be resolved in just a few words. He would let the sect master and so on deal with it instead.

Now that the war against the Empyrean Demon Cult had ended, the Godkings from the various organisations all retreated. They returned to where they came from.

The divine king arrived before Jian Chen and said, "Jian Chen, let me go deal with some matters after the battle first. In three days, I'll personally accompany you to the Earth Spirit sect. The people from the Earth Spirit sect haven't been looking at the bigger picture, attacking people on the same side as them during the war. I will definitely demand an explanation from them for this." Towards the end, the divine king's voice became rather solemn as a vicious light flickered through his eyes.

Chapter 1964: Visiting the Earth Spirit Sect (Two)

Now that the war had ended, Jian Chen, Shen Jian, and Sacredfeather returned to the provincial city with the people from the Dong'an province.

Shen Jian did not stick around for long. On the same day they returned, he bid farewell to Jian Chen and everyone else before setting off all by himself to find what was calling him in the distance.

As for Xiong Zhong, Cheng Jingyun, and the others who came from the World of Forsaken Saints, they remained with the Tian Yuan clan. They were still too weak right now. If they went with their Spiritking, not only would they fail to provide any support, but they would even weigh him down instead.

After all, Shen Jian was leaving the Cloud Plane and entering outer space, venturing to a place beyond the Cloud Plane. He would face dangers everywhere.

As for Jian Chen, he was conditioning himself in the Tian Yuan clan, quietly waiting for his visit to the Earth Spirit sect to come in three days.

At the same time, the three vice-leaders of the Empyrean Demon Cult who served the branch on the Cloud Plane gathered in a gloomy secret room within the headquarters. A thick demonic aura surrounded them as they gave off tremendous, terrifying presences, causing the air in the room to seemingly solidify.

"What are the higher-ups trying to do? The blood and soul beads that our branch spent so much time condensing have been stolen under the protection of the formations the great elder personally cast down, yet the grand elder has given no response at all. Not only has he not sent a Chaotic Prime to capture the person who stole the beads, but he hasn't even given orders to search for the beads. It's as if he doesn't care about the loss at all. Hasn't all our hard work over these years gone to waste?" Huai An said. His face was obscured, but his voice was filled with doubt and confusion.

"Huai An, there are just some things that we can't do anything about. It's best if you stop criticizing the higher ups. If the grand elder hears of it, he'll be displeased," Yi Huayue said indifferently. Then, she looked at the third vice-leader and said, "Elder Sen, an unknown infinite prime captured Yaxi Lian recently. Through the description from Yaxi Lian, do you think the Primordial realm expert who stole the blood and soul beads from our headquarters is the same person who captured Yaxi Lian?"

The vice-leader known as elder Sen fell silent for a while. Only then did he say, "The Primordial realm expert who captured Yaxi Lian uses moonlight combined with laws, while the person who intruded on our headquarters also used that. In my opinion, she's the same person."

"Since it's the same person, it's much easier to handle. According to my knowledge, the Primordial realm expert seems to be related to a person called Jian Chen from the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian," Yi Huayue said with ulterior motives.

"Jian Chen! It's Jian Chen again!" Huai An's cold voice rang out. As soon as Jian Chen was mentioned, unconcealable killing intent rose up from his heart. He said, "Not only did Jian Chen stand up against us publically, protecting the clan of Duanmu's successor, but it was also because of him that I had to agree to half a month of ceasefire. I even suspect that the blood and soul beads were robbed this time because of Jian Chen. He cannot be left alive."

Huai An continued, "The blood beads and soul beads were condensed after much difficulty, taking tremendous effort and time. We have to retrieve them, or we won't be able to give the great elder an explanation at all. Since Jian Chen is connected to all this, I'll start with him." There was cold killing intent in Huai An's voice.

"The higher-ups aren't actually looking into the loss of the blood and soul beads. There's something strange about it. There's probably something hidden that we do not know about in there. Huai An, I think it's best if you don't act recklessly," elder Sen warned out of kind intentions.

The loss of the blood and soul beads had filled him and Yi Huayue with regret as well, as every single one of those eighteen tiny beads was condensed from their efforts. Every single one of the beads had cost them great efforts. Even though they knew the great elder needed the beads and they would not obtain a single one once they were completely condensed, it still represented their contribution and hard work.

However, Yi Huayue and he could both tell that there was probably another side to the story, making it not as simple as it seemed on the surface. As a result, the two of them did not dare to act recklessly.

Formations the great elder personally cast down protected the blood and soul bead. Chaotic Primes could smash through the castle, but they would not be able to destroy those formations at all. Yet, the beads had all been lost while the formations remained intact.

They were unsure if this was the purposeful arrangements of the higher-ups, or in other words, there was a scheme they did not know hidden in there.

The light in Huai An's eyes flickered. After a while of thought, he nodded slowly, "I understand the weight of this matter."

The Blood Sun Empire was located in the centre of the southern region. It was the only eternal empire in the southern region, and six ancient empires surrounded it as well as countless divine kingdoms of various sizes.

In the depths of a well-decorated hall within the imperial palace of the Blood Sun Empire, the heavy door to a secret room slowly opened with a heavy squeaks. A dignified middle-aged man in gold and violet robes stood there with his arms crossed before the secret room.

When the door to the room was completely opened, the middle-aged man entered at a steady pace.

"Greetings, ninth prince!"

Three middle-aged men were already standing politely within the secret room. They had been waiting for some time now. They all bowed at the middle-aged man who entered the secret room.

The middle-aged man who had just entered the secret room was the ninth prince of the Blood Sun Empire.

Even though there were over a dozen princes in the Blood Sun Empire, there was only a handful of them who truly stood out and had the right to succeed as emperor.

Not only was the ninth prince the one who stood out the most among them, but he was also the person that the current emperor valued the most.

There were even rumors that once the emperor of the Blood Sun Empire abdicated, the next emperor would definitely be the ninth prince.

As a result, basically no other prince could match up to the ninth prince's authority in the Blood Sun Empire.

The ninth prince stood before the three of them indifferently and ordered firmly, "The three of you visit the Yin Mountains of Sevens Despair near the Heavenly Moon Empire. Bring me the Flower of Ways I planted there."

After so many years of preparation, the ninth prince had finally reached the peak of Godking. He was only a single step away from the Primordial realm.

This step seemed short, but in reality, it was extremely distant and extremely difficult to take.

Even with the ninth prince's surprising talent, he would still need a very long time to reach the Primordial realm.

The Flower of Ways was the only heavenly resource that could allow him to overcome his current cultivation bottleneck in the shortest amount of time possible so that he could reach the Primordial realm.

The faces of the three Godkings changed when the prince mentioned the Flower of Ways. They looked at one another, and their faces were filled with bitterness.

The ninth prince frowned. He asked grimly, "Something has happened to the Flower of Ways?"

The three middle-aged Godkings hesitated slightly. Finally, one of them gathered the courage to say, "Ninth prince, the Flower of Ways has been taken by a Primordial realm expert."

The ninth prince's eyes immediately emitted two shocking beams of light when he heard that. A tremendous presence radiated from his body like a flood. It was extremely terrifying.

They were also Godkings, but when the three middle-aged men faced the presence that had erupted from the ninth prince, they staggered backwards. They felt like a mountain had crushed down on them.

"Let's go to the Yin Mountains of Sevens Despair!" The ninth prince said emotionlessly.

The Earth Spirit sect was one of the two peak sects in the Heavenly Moon Empire. They possessed an extremely great status in the Heavenly Moon Empire, where even the imperial family had to show them respect.

The Earth Spirit sect was established in the Three Thousand Spiritual Mountains that possessed the densest origin energy in the Heavenly Moon Empire. They used the mountains as a source of energy to cast down a tremendous protective formation.

The formation was so powerful that even regular Primordial realm experts would struggle to shake it!

This day just happened to be the centennial disciple acceptance ceremony of the Earth Spirit sect. The narrow path between the mountains that led to the sect was already completely packed. Many young people of similar ages stood in groups neatly, taking the various tests set up by the Earth Spirit sect in an orderly manner. They wanted to join the Earth Spirit sect and become one of their disciples so that they could bring glory to their family and ancestors.

There were many people from large clans who possessed some status in the Heavenly Moon Empire among them. They either rode powerful, tamed birds or beasts, or luxurious carriages.

As a result, the area outside the sect had already become filled with luxurious carriages as well as huge, powerful beasts.

However, without any exceptions, no one dared to fly in the sky within a thousand kilometers of the sect. They all travelled along the ground.

At this moment, a golden streak of light suddenly appeared. It directly crossed through the sky at a high altitude, moving towards the Earth Spirit sect. They were still at the horizon, but in the next moment, they had crossed the distance and appeared outside the Earth Spirit sect. It did not land. Instead, it hovered in the sky at the same level as the highest mountain of the Earth Spirit sect.

At a closer glance, the golden carriage was pulled by nine exotic beasts. Each beast was very powerful, possessing the cultivation level of Overgod.

"Who is the one in the carriage? He's behaving in such an imposing manner, still floating in the sky after arriving before the Earth Spirit sect."

"That altitude is the same as the highest peak of the Earth Spirit sect. What a bold person. Doesn't he know that these actions are no different to challenging the Earth Spirit sect?"

"The only people bold enough to do something like this either don't know the rules of the Earth Spirit sect or are extremely impressive experts. However, even the emperor of the Heavenly Moon Empire and elders of the Daoist Sect of Calm Clouds would not dare to fly that high. That's the same height as the mountain occupied by the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect."

For a moment, everyone outside the sect stared at the golden carriage as they discussed among themselves.

The elder who was responsible for the acceptance ceremony did not go up to stop the carriage when he saw it. Instead, his eyes narrowed, and he immediately grew stern.

He had already recognised the carriage. The owner of the carriage did indeed possess the right to act that way now.

At this moment, the formation around the Earth Spirit sect shook. It completely opened. This would only happen when the Earth Spirit sect had to receive people with great statuses.

"So it's the Pingtian divine king. Our humble abode is honored to have the divine king. Please come in," a peal of laughter rang out. The current sect master flew out with over a dozen elders from the sect. They were all enthusiastic.

If it were before the divine king had reached the Primordial realm, the Earth Spirit sect would have never welcomed him with such a great crowd of people.

However, ever since he had broken through, his status had changed greatly. There were no organisations within an ancient empire that would want to offend an expert like that for no good reason.

Chapter 1965: Visiting the Earth Spirit Sect (Three)

"What? The person in the carriage is actually the divine king of the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian? It's said that he has reached the Primordial realm now and is currently an Infinite Prime. He's on the same level as the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect..."

"So it's the divine king of the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian. That's what I was saying. Just who else would be bold enough to not only fly in the territory of the Earth Spirit sect but also maintain an altitude equal to the highest peak..."

"Oh my god, is there really a Primordial realm expert inside that golden carriage in the sky? That's a figure of legends. Many people don't get to see a single one in their entire lives..."

...

Naturally, the countless young people who had come to join the Earth Spirit sect and the seniors who accompanied them heard the sect master's voice loud and clear. It immediately led to a noisy clamor.

In the next moment, the countless gazes that laid on the golden carriage shone. They were filled with excitement, envy, respect, and admiration.

The Primordial realm was a legendary level of cultivation to many of them. With their status, they did not even possess the right to see an expert like that.

The divine king's carriage made its way through the entrance of the Earth Spirit sect slowly under the warm welcome personally led by the sect master with the elders. They disappeared from view.

In the centre of the mountain range was a huge peak. Someone with great strength had forcefully cleaved it into an open square. The divine king's golden carriage slowly came to a stop there. As the carriage opened, the white-robed Jian Chen and the dragon-robed divine king emerged.

The sect master was a scholarly, middle-aged man. Currently, he smiled from ear to ear, and just when he wanted to talk, the horizon became extraordinarily bright. It was as if a huge sun hung at the entrance of the sect, causing it to become two or three times brighter compared to elsewhere.

Jian Chen sensed something. He looked over and saw a ruddy old man shining brilliantly like a sun, making his way over through the air from afar. The light he gave off was so bright that it directly suppressed the sun's light, making it pale in comparison.

Jian Chen's eyes suddenly narrowed the moment he saw the old man. The old man was only shining and gave off no presence, so he seemed ordinary.

However, Jian Chen was able to tell with a single glance that the old man had surpassed Godking and reached the Primordial realm.

The sect master and the many elders sensed the old man's arrival. Respect immediately filled all their faces, and they bowed at the old man, "Greetings, ancestor!"

The ancestor moved extremely quickly. In just a single step, he traversed the distance and appeared before Jian Chen and the divine king. He glanced past Jian Chen indifferently before directly looking at the divine king.

However, his indifferent glance made Jian Chen's heart beat heavily. At that moment, he felt like he was suffocating, and he had even lost control of his body for a split second.

"The Primordial realm is indeed powerful. I really am like an ant before an expert like this," thought Jian Chen. He had seen quite a few Primordial realm experts before. Aside from the divine king and Huai An, he had seen many Infinite Primes in his trip to the northern region. He had even seen a Chaotic Prime that possessed even more terrifying strength.

However, those Primordial realm experts never released their presences purposefully, so Jian Chen did not experience anything particularly memorable. However, the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect had shown off the might of the Primordial realm at first glance. Even though it was just a split second, Jian Chen had truly felt how powerful the Primordial realm was.

"Pingtian, congratulations on reaching this cultivation level. I believe that before long, a seventh ancient empire will appear in our southern region," the ancestor clasped his fist at the divine king before inviting him into the main hall.

Everyone sat down within the main hall. The ancestor and the divine king sat at similar levels.

"Sang Tu, let's cut to the chase. You should know why I've come here today," the divine king directly approached the main reason behind his visit as soon as he sat down.

The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect remained silent.

"Your majesty, what happened on the battlefield was indeed our disciples' fault. Our Earth Spirit sect is willing to compensate brother Jian Chen for the injuries he suffered on the battlefield. Moreover, the protector who dealt the sneak attack to brother Jian Chen with the talisman has already been expelled from our Earth Spirit sect. From today onwards, she is no longer our disciple. May I ask if brother Jian Chen and your majesty is satisfied with this?" The sect master said.

The divine king looked at Jian Chen, clearly asking for his thoughts.

Jian Chen's lips curled into a cold smile. He said, "How can something as precious as a Godking level talisman end up in the hands of an Overgod, especially an Overgod who's not particularly powerful? As a result, the true suspect behind all this is not the protector. Instead, she was ordered to do so by your elders."

The sect master became stern. He asked solemnly, "Brother Jian Chen, may I ask if you have any evidence that points to the elders of our Earth Spirit sect as the suspect? If you're drawing a conclusion from a single Godking level talisman all by yourself, isn't that a little too rash?"

"Rash? I don't feel that it's rash at all. Instead, I think Jian Chen's words are reasonable," the divine king said firmly.

The sect master's face became unsettled. Once this matter involved people at the level of elders, it would be rather difficult to resolve. Their Earth Spirit sect could give up on a few Overgod protectors, but Godkings were the pillars of support of the Earth Spirit sect. Losing even just one of them would affect the strength of the Earth Spirit sect.

The elders seated in the hall all became stern.

"Bring me Mu Ku!" The ancestor said all of a sudden, but his face remained indifferent.

Mu Ku was an elder of the Earth Spirit sect as well as the master of the seven protectors who had created a mess in the Dong'an province.

The sect master's face immediately changed. After hesitating slightly, he still sent people to summon elder Mu in the end.

Very soon, elder Mu entered the hall. He bowed at the ancestor and stood there with a sunken face.

"Jian Chen, the suspect you speak of, who is the master of those protectors, is right here. Do you plan on doing it yourself, or do you want Pingtian to do it for you?" The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect said indifferently.

"Ancestor, we still haven't completely investigated..." The sect master said with some urgency. He was a Godking elder, so he could not be handed over just like that.

However, before he could finish speaking, the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect had raised his hand to shut him up. He stared at Jian Chen deeply.

Chapter 1966: Only Defeat is Accepted

"If that's the case, I'll take him back with me," said the divine king. He handled the matter decisively and was about to take Mu Ku.

However, just when the divine king was about to make his move, the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect said suddenly, "Pingtian, don't you feel like you're lowering yourself too much by moving against a Godking as a Primordial realm expert?"

The divine king frowned at that. He said indifferently, "Sang Tu, what are you trying to say? Do you want Jian Chen to fight a Godking as an Overgod?"

"It's rumored that although Jian Chen has not attempted the Overgods' Plaque, he already possesses the strength to challenge the person who ranks first. Moreover, he defeated a Godking lately. As a result, having Jian Chen fight Mu Ku is relatively fair," the ancestor said indifferently. He looked at the divine king and continued, "Although Mu Ku is a Godking, he's only an early Godking and not a supreme Godking either. As a result, if you take action, Pingtian, you'll be lowering yourself."

"Mu Ku!" The ancestor looked at Mu Ku. His face was dignified to the point where he could not be denied.

"Ancestor!" Elder Mu bowed politely.

"Mu Ku, on the battlefield between the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian and the Empyrean Demon Cult, your disciple ignored the bigger picture and attacked a person on her side despite the circumstances. As their master, you haven't managed to restrain them properly, so you are responsible for your disciple's mistakes. You need to give Jian Chen an explanation for this," the ancestor said.

"Yes, ancestor!" Mu Ku said politely. He did not dare to disobey.

"Jian Chen, what I can offer you is a battle against Mu Ku, regardless of any deaths that may happen. What do you think?" The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect said to Jian Chen.

Jian Chen stood up. He looked at the ancestor with great interest. Not only did he show no fear, but his expression was also rather sharp. He said coldly, "If that's the case, allow me to witness just how powerful the Godking elders of your Earth Spirit sect are."

Jian Chen glared at elder Mu as powerful sword intent radiated from him. He said coldly, "Mu Ku, come fight me!"

There was also a certain sharpness in elder Mu's old eyes. He said, "I also want to witness the supreme prodigy who can challenge the first place on the Overgods' Plaque. I want to see whether you really are as powerful as you are rumored to be, where you can defeat Godkings as an Overgod."

With that, elder Mu made his way outside.

"Mu Ku, only defeat is accepted in this battle!" However, the ancestor's voice rang out in Mu Ku's head at this moment.

The secret message had come from an expert who had reached Infinite Prime many years ago, so even the divine king was unable to hear it, let alone the other elders present.

As a result, only Mu Ku heard the message.

Elder Mu immediately froze. His face rapidly changed a few times before returning to how it was before. He felt grief.

There were many platforms of different sizes in the Earth Spirit sect. They were specially provided for spars between disciples. Currently, Jian Chen and elder Mu stood before each other on the largest one. A barrier the ancestor cast down had surrounded the entire platform.

The barrier was so powerful that even Godkings would struggle to get through it. It would easily resist the shockwaves of battle that appeared inside.

Basically, all the elders of the Earth Spirit sect had gathered around the platform. Even the elders in seclusion had emerged to witness the fight.

If it were just a battle between Godkings, it would be impossible for so many elders to watch. However, a battle between a supreme Overgod who was powerful enough to challenge the first place on the Overgods' Plaque and a Godking was attractive enough for all these Godkings to come to watch. Even Primordial realm experts would pay some attention to it.

Mu Ku stood on the platform with an extremely sunken face. The ancestor's message continued to resound through his head. That message had basically severed any chance for him to survive, filling him with despair.

"I never thought- I really never thought that when I suggested to my disciples to move against Jian Chen, not only would they fail to kill him successfully, but I'd even end up doomed instead, abandoned mercilessly by the sect."

"Didn't the humiliation of the disciples fall onto our Earth Spirit sect's pride? My actions were to recover our pride so that other people would not make use of our name to propel themselves. But in the end, I ruined myself instead."

Elder Mu sighed emotionally inside. At that moment, he was filled with indescribable bitterness.

However, his gaze became extremely cold soon afterwards. The powerful pressure that belonged to a Godking radiated from him. Laws formed chains as they wrapped around him. He stared at Jian Chen in great interest as he thought, "As a Godking, even if I can't win, I can't let Jian Chen have it easy in this battle. I will use my full strength."

Elder Mu moved. He wielded a wooden staff as he charged at Jian Chen with soaring battle intent. The terrifying power of his cultivation poured out from his body, and all of it condensed in the wooden staff at that moment. He extended it towards Jian Chen with the Godking level laws in an overwhelming manner.

Elder Mu did not hold back at all. He used his full strength, so the strike was extraordinarily powerful. When he extended his staff, the terrifying energy it contained actually affected the space within the barrier, making it twist.

The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect and the divine king both furrowed their brows outside.

Naturally, the two of them could tell that Mu Ku was using his full strength. They did not know if Jian Chen would actually be able to deal with such a powerful opponent.

Although there were rumors that Jian Chen had defeated a Godking in the northern region, it was still a rumor in the end. There were details they did not know, such as whether the rumor had been exaggerated or whether the Godking was injured.

Being able to challenge first place on the Overgods' Plaque was only a descriptor of Jian Chen's strength. After all, he did not attempt the Overgods' Plaque, so just how high he could rank on the Overgods' Plaque and whether he really possessed the power to rival first place were unanswered questions.

"Does Mu Ku plan on disobeying me?" The ancestor's heart sank slightly. Cold light flickered in his deep, dark eyes.

Jian Chen's face did not change at all when he faced elder Mu's aggressive strike on the platform. He wielded the Startling Rainbow sword as he protected himself with a layer of light, stabbing out with composure.

The strike was simple and ordinary, without any fancy tricks to it at all. However, it was exactly this strike that possessed the deep mysteries of the sword. It conformed to the Laws of the Sword and coupled with the devastatingly powerful Chaotic Force, its might had completely surpassed the level of Overgods, barely making it to the level of Godkings.

Even though it had only barely made it to the level of Godkings, it was enough to rival early Godkings due to the various advantages of the Chaotic Body.

Chapter 1967: Two Choices

At the moment Jian Chen and Mu Ku struck out, the elders around the platform all squinted their eyes. Not only did they pay close attention to the battle, but all of them had even expanded the senses of their souls as well, enveloping the entire platform. They wanted to see the battle between the two clearly. They were unwilling to miss out on any detail.

This was because this was an outstanding battle where an Overgod challenged a Godking. Even with the entire Saints' World in perspective, a battle like this was extremely rare.

After all, the people who were able to challenge Godkings as Overgods were basically all supreme prodigies who ranked within the top ten of the Overgods' Plaque.

Even the divine king and the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect stared at the platform without blinking. They wanted to see if Jian Chen possessed the strength he had in the rumors, where he defeated a Godking in the northern region as an Overgod.

Boom!

Under the close watch of everyone, Jian Chen and elder Mu's first attacks finally clashed. A violent boom immediately erupted on the platform. Powerful energy wreaked havoc on the platform as a visible current.

Jian Chen and Mu Ku protected themselves with laws. The light around them flickered as they remained still.

Not only had Jian Chen received Mu Ku's full-powered strike perfectly, but it also seemed like he had managed to match Mu Ku.

Mu Ku's eyes immediately narrowed after the strike. His gaze towards Jian Chen had finally become stern.

He had truly witnessed Jian Chen's strength after the clash. He knew that Jian Chen did not enjoy undeserved fame. He truly possessed the battle prowess to face off against a Godking.

Jian Chen's face was emotionless as his eyes shone with cold light, making his gaze as sharp as swords. He used the Startling Rainbow sword to block Mu Ku's wooden staff as he formed a seal with his other hand. Immediately, a golden strand of sword Qi condensed above his head, radiating with powerful sword intent.

The sword intent was so powerful that it caused elder Mu's face to change slightly.

He could clearly sense that the golden sword Qi above Jian Chen's head was so powerful that it was enough to threaten him.

Elder Mu responded extremely quickly. Just when Jian Chen's sword Qi had condensed, he bellowed out, and he suddenly shot backwards. At the same time, the wooden staff in his hand danced. The power of laws wove together, rapidly condensing into a huge piece of wood.

The appearance of the piece of wood was accompanied with the might of the world. The energy it contained was so powerful that it was enough to make the expression of any early Godking in the Earth Spirit sect change.

Jian Chen's Daluo Sword had directly forced Mu Ku to use his battle skill.

"Mu Ku is actually using a battle skill. It looks like Jian Chen really does have some ability. He can actually force a Godking into using a battle skill as an Overgod..."

"No wonder he's known as someone who can challenge the first place on the Overgods' Plaque. He is indeed very powerful. Jian Chen's reputation is deserved..."

"So what if he deserves the reputation he possesses? Although prodigies who rank towards the top of the Overgods' Plaque can kill Godkings, those are only ordinary Godkings. Mu Ku is no ordinary Godking. He has comprehended the various cultivation methods and battle skills of our Earth Spirit sect. Although his strength isn't enough for him to rank amongst the top of early Godkings, he's still extraordinary..."

"That's right. If Mu Ku did not use a battle skill, Jian Chen would indeed have the power to reach a stalemate against Mu Ku. However, since Mu Ku is using a battle skill, Jian Chen's defeat is certain..."

The many observing elders of the Earth Spirit sect sighed in amazement. This really was the first time they had seen such a powerful Overgod, where he could hold his ground against a Godking and even force him into using a battle skill.

After all, they had only heard legends of Overgods fighting Godkings.

And these legends were mostly exaggerated.

However, the gaze of the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect could not help but become slightly sunken when he saw how Mu Ku not only disobeyed his orders, but he had even become bolder as the battle went on.

"Go!"

At this moment, Mu Ku called out. As he extended his finger, the huge piece of wood shot off as a streak of green light towards Jian Chen with unbelievable speed.

Boom!

The huge piece of wood collided with the golden sword Qi, erupting with a deafening sound. The entire platform shook heavily from their strike while even the ground had cracked.

However, Jian Chen's attacks were as intense as a storm. Before the effects of the previous attack had completely settled down, another attack would come. When the sword Qi collided with the huge piece of wood, he became covered with light. Afterwards, he turned into a bolt of lightning and suddenly shot off with unbelievable speed.

"How is Jian Chen so powerful? He even stopped my battle skill, and he's only an Overgod," Mu Ku was amazed by Jian Chen's strength. He knew that the ancestor had ordered him to throw the battle, but he did not want to lose in such a miserable way.

Originally, he believed he could rely on his cultivation as a Godking to heavily injure Jian Chen in an overwhelming manner before forfeiting before everyone so Jian Chen had 'defeated' him.

He wanted to show everyone just how helpless and without a choice he was to choose defeat. He did not want to truly lose to Jian Chen in battle.

However, he had never thought that Jian Chen's strength would completely exceed his expectations. He was already using his full strength, and he had even used a battle skill, yet Jian Chen still managed to match him evenly, preventing him from gaining the upper hand at all.

However, just when Mu Ku was amazed, his eyes suddenly narrowed. Up ahead, a streak of light suddenly shot over at an unbelievable speed, punching through elder Mu's body instantly.

It was fast, simply too fast. The streak of light was so fast that even Mu Ku was unable to catch a glimpse of it. He only managed to find it with the senses of his soul, but it was impossible for him to react due to how close and fast the streak of light was.

Mu Ku stood there frozen. He lowered his head and stared at the bowl-sized hole in his chest.

He refused to accept this outcome!

"H- h- how..."

"What secret technique did Jian Chen use earlier to move so quickly..."

...

The elders observing the battle were all shocked as well. They had never expected something like this.

"It's Mu Ku's defeat," the ancestor stood up and declared the outcome of the battle. At the same time, he finally let out a breath of relief inside.

"Jian Chen, according to our earlier agreement, Mu Ku's life belongs to you," the ancestor said to Jian Chen as he removed the barrier around the platform.

"Jian Chen, are you fine?" The divine king appeared before Jian Chen silently and asked in concern.

"Thank you for your concern, your majesty. I'm fine," said Jian Chen. Then, he looked at Mu Ku. A cold light flickered through his eyes.

Mu Ku turned around in dejection and looked at Jian Chen gloomily. He said, "Jian Chen, do it." As he said that, he closed his eyes. All his hopes vanished at that moment.

"Brother Jian Chen, please show mercy. We will be eternally grateful if you spare Mu Ku's life..."

"Brother Jian Chen, please stay your hand. We are willing to make it up to you in different ways as long as you spare Mu Ku's life..."

...

All the elders pleaded for mercy.

Even the sect master looked at the ancestor, hoping he would step forward to save Mu Ku.

Godkings were the pillars of support of the Earth Spirit sect. They were extremely important.

The ancestor remained emotionless and said nothing.

Jian Chen stared at Mu Ku. The light in his eyes flickered, and after a while of thought, he said slowly, "Mu Ku, I'll give you two choices. The first is that I can kill you right now and disperse your soul, reducing your arduous cultivation of countless years to nothing. The second is that you will immediately swear to protect my Tian Yuan clan for ten thousand years. You will recover your freedom after those ten millennia."

Chapter 1968: The Ninth Prince

Jian Chen's surprising suggestion stunned everyone present. Even the divine king was extremely surprised.

However, all the elder who pleaded for Mu Ku became delighted soon afterwards.

To them, protecting the Tian Yuan clan for ten thousand years was nothing compared to Mu Ku's life.

Every single Godking had lived for a very long time. Who knew how many millennia they had lived for? As a result, ten millennia was just too short in their eyes.

The sect master finally let out a sigh of relief inside as well. Even though he felt like it was an extremely disgraceful and humiliating matter for a Godking to guard an Overgod's clan for ten thousand years, the disgrace and humiliation was nothing compared to Mu Ku's life.

Moreover, this Overgod was no ordinary Overgod. Rather, it was one that possessed extraordinary strength and could truly challenge the person ranked first on the Overgods' Plaque.

Once an Overgod like that became a Godking, they would definitely be able to make it onto the Godkings' Throne. They might even be able to challenge Primordial realm experts as Godkings.

Guarding the clan of a supreme Overgod like this for ten thousand years was not necessarily embarrassing.

"Elder Mu, stop hesitating. Agree to it."

Many of the Godkings, including the sect master, urged Mu Ku secretly.

On the platform, Mu Ku stood there with a pale face. He was gloomy as he stared at Jian Chen in a gloomy daze. Naturally, he had heard the many messages from his fellow elders, but getting him, a mighty Godking, to guard someone else's clan for ten thousand years was something extremely difficult to accept.

Elder Mu stood on the platform in thought for a very long time. He was in a serious dilemma. In the end, he slowly turned his head and looked at the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect.

The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect stood in the distance calmly. He showed no particular emotion at all.

In the end, elder Mu looked at Jian Chen again. With mixed feelings, he looked at this person who was only an Overgod, yet possessed battle prowess so great that even he could not rival. He sighed helplessly inside before saying with some sorrow, "I'll guard your clan for ten thousand years."

This short sentence had taken a lot of energy for Mu Ku to say. He seemed to have withered after saying that as if he had lost his soul. He was completely dejected.

"Since the grievance has been resolved, it's time for us to go. Sang Tu, we can catch up some other time," the divine king said to the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect.

The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect clasped his fist at the divine king. After a simple conversation, he bid farewell to the divine king.

Afterwards, the divine king and Jian Chen climbed back onto the carriage and shot off under the gazes of the many elders and disciples.

Elder Mu did not leave with them. He would be settling down in the Tian Yuan clan after he departed, and he would guard the clan for ten thousand years. As a result, there were matters he had to take care of before he left.

"Mu Ku, come and see me," the ancestor said to Mu Ku before drifting off.

On the highest peak within the mountain ranges of the Earth Spirit sect, origin energy had formed a mist that curled around the mountain top, obscuring it, making it seem like it reached into the clouds.

This mountain peak was the symbol of the essence of the Earth Spirit sect as well as the very backbone that supported the prosperous sect.

It was where the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect cultivated.

At this moment, the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect stood by a cliff on the top of the mountain. He gazed into the distance deeply as the wind there whistled, buffeting his long, silver hair and clothes.

Behind him stood the current sect master and a dispirited Mu Ku.

"Mu Ku, do you know what I wanted you to be defeated?" The ancestor said calmly with his back towards Mu Ku.

However, the calm voice was filled with some helplessness.

"I did not know originally, but I understood afterwards. It's because the Primordial realm expert behind Jian Chen is very powerful," said Mu Ku.

"Ancestor, do you know the identity of the Primordial realm expert behind Jian Chen?" The sect master asked.

The ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect let out a long sigh, "I don't know who the Primordial realm expert behind Jian Chen is, but she's not someone our Earth Spirit sect can afford to offend. She's so powerful that she only needs a simple gesture to destroy our Earth Spirit sect."

As he said that, the ancestor could not help but think about what had happened three days ago.

Back then, when he was cultivating in his secret room, a beautiful woman in white clothes had appeared before him silently. If it were not for the fact that the woman had purposefully let out her presence and alarmed him, he probably would not have known that an outsider had intruded on the secret room he had covered with formations even if he died.

Although the woman did not touch him, the presence she gave off was so powerful that the ancestor was still able to recall it like it was new.

He would never forget that presence. Before it, he could not even resist as if he stood before a Chaotic Prime. He felt as insignificant as an ant.

He did not doubt at all that the woman possessed the terrifying strength to obliterate the Earth Spirit sect with a simple gesture.

His Earth Spirit sect could never afford to offend such a powerful expert.

Both elder Mu and the current sect master were shocked when they heard the ancestor's words.

They had all heard that there was a Primordial realm expert behind Jian Chen, but they never thought that she possessed strength that was so terrifying that even their ancestor would be so frightened.

"Do you understand now?" A sliver of bitterness appeared on the ancestor's face. He said helplessly, "We can't offend the person behind Jian Chen, but we still have to keep our pride. If we directly give in, it'll damage our name if news of the matter makes it out. This was why I wanted you to lose to Jian Chen in the battle before everyone. That way, not only would Jian Chen get the explanation he deserves, but the expert behind him would also not be offended, and we would be able to keep our pride."

"Although it's not a very glorious matter for a Godking to lose to an Overgod, Jian Chen has already defeated a Godking in the northern region. He already possesses the strength to challenge first place on the Overgods' Plaque. Losing to a supreme Overgod like that is nothing disgraceful."

"Mu Ku, go tidy your things. Once you're ready, set off and protect the Tian Yuan clan for ten thousand years."

"Yes, ancestor," Mu Ku said politely. Warmth filled his heart.

Now, he finally understood why the ancestor had told him that only defeat was accepted in his battle against Jian Chen.

As it turned out, an expert who could easily destroy the entire Earth Spirit sect backed up Jian Chen. No wonder the ancestor had made a decision like that.

After the sect master and Mu Ku departed, the ancestor stood on the edge of the cliff in thought for a while. Afterwards, a fragment of jade immediately appeared in his hand with a single movement.

He used the power of his soul to engrave information onto the jade fragment. A while later, he suddenly looked into the distance and waved his hand, tossing out the jade fragment.

Immediately, the jade fragment turned into a streak of white light, shooting off with unbelievable speed. It instantly disappeared.

Several middle-aged men appeared silently within the miasma-shrouded depths of the Yin Mountains of Sevens Despair. They hovered in the air as they stared down with sunken faces.

The mountains below them had already collapsed. There was rubble everywhere, and it was a mess.

In the loose rubble, there were several huge figures that could be clearly seen laying on the ground.

Even though they were already dead, quite a powerful pressure still leaked out from their bodies. Every single one of them was a late Godking before they died.

"Who? Who did this? Who has stolen my Flower of Ways?" A middle-aged man in violet and golden robes at the very front currently stared downwards coldly as he said through gritted teeth.

This middle-aged man was the ninth prince of the Blood Sun Empire!

"Ninth prince, I've already sent people to investigate, but this relates to a Primordial realm expert after all. It'll take some time to find out some things. However, I believe some leads will be found very soon," a Godking said carefully from behind the ninth prince.

"Speed up the investigation. I want to learn about this Primordia realm expert in the shortest amount of time possible. Hmph, so what if you're a Primordial realm expert? You've taken my Flower of Ways." The ninth prince's gaze was cold. He had already reached peak Godking and was only a step away from the Primordial realm.

Originally, he would have been able to take this step easily with the Flower of Ways, and he would not have to waste so much time for it.

However, now that the Flower of Ways had been taken away, it would take him much, much longer to reach the Primordial realm.

At this moment, a white piece of jade shot through the air, directly arriving before the ninth prince.

The ninth prince stared at the piece of jade calmly and slowly grabbed it. He said, "This probably came from a Primordial realm expert. It seems like it's from the Primordial realm experts of the Heavenly Moon Empire. Looking at its direction, it should be from the one in the Earth Spirit sect."

"Ninth prince, the ancestor of the Earth Spirit sect has sent us a jade slip. Does he know something?" One of the people behind the ninth prince asked.

"Let's hope so," the ninth prince said coldly before extending the senses of his soul into the jade slip.

Very soon, he looked through all of its contents, and a gleam of cold light flickered through his eyes. He crushed the jade slip and said emotionlessly, "Let's go to the Dong'an province of the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian."

Jian Chen directly returned to the Tian Yuan clan. As soon as he returned, he could clearly sense that the atmosphere of the clan seemed to have become. It was especially energetic, filled with great joy.

"Patriarch, you've finally returned. Xi Yu has broken through and become an Overgod!" Mo Ling saw Jian Chen in the distance and immediately ran over in high spirits.

The Tian Yuan clan gaining another Overgod was definitely something worthy of celebration.

This was because in the current Divine Kingdom of Pingtian, Overgods were supreme rulers of provinces.

"Xi Yu!" As soon as Xi Yu was mentioned, Jian Chen could not help but think back to the embroidered box he had given to princess Tai'an during the time he had spent in the northern region.

"It has already been so long, yet there's still no news. I wonder whether my guess is wrong or the princess still hasn't given the box to the Xi Emperor or the empress," Jian Chen thought.

Chapter 1969: Three Types of Laws

"Xi Yu, congratulations on successfully becoming an Overgod. In the future, you will also be a famed expert of the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian," Jian Chen congratulated Xi Yu sincerely with a happy smile when he saw her.

There was not a lot of Overgods in the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian. Coupled with the fact that a few had died during the battle against the Empyrean Demon Cult, there were even fewer Overgods now. Now that Xi Yu had successfully become an Overgod in these circumstances, her status would be extremely great in the Divine Kingdom of Pingtian.

Xi Yu wore a luxurious white dress, while her black, glossy hair had been specially styled into a bun at the back of her head. As a result, she completely lacked the heroic spirit from before. Instead, she seemed more like the treasured daughter of a large clan.

"I could only become an Overgod so quickly because of the patriarch's nurturing," Xi Yu bowed slightly. She spoke softly, where her voice was extremely pleasant. The light in her eyes shone as she looked straight at Jian Chen.

Xi Yu's talent was indeed very great. With the talent she had displayed right now, there was completely no need for her to take as long as she did to become an Overgod. She could have accomplished it sooner.

However, unfortunately, the Mo clan was just too weak. They were only a clan with a God, so they did not have that many resources to raise a prodigy like Xi Yu.

As a result, Xi Yu only became a Deity after two thousand years of cultivation in the Mo clan.

Only after meeting Jian Chen did she receive full support in nurturing, gaining both large amounts of divine crystals and guidance in comprehending the Laws of the Sword. Her strength had skyrocketed after that, so she went from the Deity before to an Overgod now in such a short amount of time.

"Xi Yu's talent is no less than the prodigies of large clans," Jian Chen could not help but be amazed as well. He had met quite a few prodigies from those ancient empires in the past few days, so he possessed some understanding towards them.

Now that he compared Xi Yu to those so-called prodigies, he found that Xi Yu was actually far more impressive than them.

Jian Chen looked at Xi Yu with some mixed feelings. He said, "Xi Yu, staying at the Tian Yuan clan is basically wasting away your talent. The current Tian Yuan clan can no longer provide for you such that you can grow faster. Staying here will only waste your potential. Only those peak sects in eternal empires can allow you to climb higher and further."

"Are you chasing me away?" Xi Yu looked at Jian Chen as her face became slightly gloomy and depressed.

Jian Chen shook his head and sighed gently, "I don't intend to chase you away. I'm just thinking for you. I hope you are able to go as far as you can on the path of cultivation, or even reach the apex of the Saints' World."

The patriarch of the Mo clan from before, Mo Xingfeng, looked at Xi Yu and sighed inside. He said, "Yu'er, the patriarch is right. Consider the patriarch's suggestion to join those larger sects."

Mo Xingfeng had basically watched Xi Yu grow up. There was no other person who understood Xi Yu better than him. He felt very helpless about this. He truly wished from the bottom of his heart that Xi Yu could leave the Tian Yuan clan temporarily and join those powerful sects. It would be better for her like that.

"No, don't let sister Xi Yu go. Sister Xi Yu, don't leave me, okay? I really don't want to separate from you." At this moment, Mo Yan also ran over. She clung onto Xi Yu's arm tightly as she spoke with much unwillingness to part with her. Afterwards, she waved her little fist at Jian Chen angrily and said fiercely, "Patriarch Jian Chen, you can't let sister Xi Yu go, or I'll never forgive you."

Jian Chen smiled and looked at Mo Yan rather helplessly. Although Mo Yan was older than him, he had begun to treat her as his little sister long ago. He wanted to protect Mo Yan from the bottom of his heart.

However, once Jian Chen thought about Mo Yan's cultivation, he felt pained. This girl disliked cultivation very much, and she would put up an attitude as soon as it was mentioned. As a result, she basically made no progress across the years, remaining at Sainthood.

"Thank you for your concern, patriarch, but I have no interest in joining those large sects. Moreover, haven't you patriarch not joined any large sects either, and your strength still grows rapidly? As a result, I believe that I too can become a powerful expert even if I don't join those large sects," Xi Yu said firmly.

Jian Chen was helpless from Xi Yu's insistence. He could only sigh gently inside before turning around and leaving.

Unknowingly, Jian Chen had already arrived in the forbidden grounds of the Tian Yuan clan. A powerful formation enveloped the forbidden grounds, and only a handful of people possessed the right to enter the place.

Standing in the forbidden grounds, Jian Chen could not help but think of Shangguan Mu'er.

Originally, Shangguan Mu'er should have been cultivating here, waiting for him to come home. However, he had never thought that his visit to the northern region would result in their separation.

"Mu'er, I wonder if you've arrived at the Daoist Sect of Divine Sound and if they're treating you well? You have to spend your time well there and wait for me to pick you up. Although I don't know where the Skyfire Plane is or just how distant it is from the Cloud Plane, I will definitely go there." Jian Chen clasped his fist tightly as determination filled his eyes.

However, Jian Chen's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he turned around.

A slender figure stood behind him silently, looking at Jian Chen calmly.

"Kai Ya, it's you!" Jian Chen was surprised. He looked at Kai Ya with complete shock as his heart was in turmoil.

This was because he had actually failed to sense Kai Ya approach him at all earlier. He did not even know when Kai Ya had appeared behind him and how long she had been standing there.

Jian Chen immediately looked at her with his full attention, studying Kai Ya carefully. That immediately made him gasp as disbelief filled his face. His heart churned.

"Kai Ya, your cultivation..." Jian Chen said in shock. At that moment, he struggled to believe what he was seeing.

He discovered that Kai Ya's strength had actually risen to late Overgod in such a short amount of time.

Jian Chen felt like he was dreaming.

Just how long ago had Kai Ya woken up for? When she woke up, she was only a Saint Emperor, yet she had already become a late Overgod now.

Jian Chen was stunned by how quickly her strength had increased. It was so fast that it even left Jian Chen in the dust.

With that speed, probably only fairy Hao Yue who had been a Primordial realm expert in her former life could surpass Kai Ya.

"Jian Chen, thank you for the monster core and all those divine crystals. It's exactly because of them that my cultivation has managed to grow so rapidly," Kai Ya said to Jian Chen. From her indifferent expression, it was as if she did not know just how great of a disturbance her speedy cultivation could have created in the Saints' World.

"Cultivation can be increased by absorbing a large number of divine crystals. But the comprehension of the laws of the world..." Jian Chen hesitated. Kai Ya had surprised him far too much.

A sliver of confusion appeared in Kai Ya's eyes. She said, "I don't know why either. My comprehension of the laws of the world seems to be especially easy, where I can grasp the laws without any effort. I've already grasped three laws now. And it seems like I can absorb the energy of divine crystals thousands of times faster than others."

As she said that, Kai Ya immediately used the power of laws with a thought. Immediately, three different types of laws condensed.

Jian Chen was stunned when he saw the laws revolve around Kai Ya. He murmured, "The Laws of Destruction, the Laws of Fire, and the last one seems to be the Laws of Creation..." To Jian Chen's great surprise, Kai Ya's three laws had all reached late Overgod.

Chapter 1970: Huai An's Personal Visit

Jian Chen looked at Kai Ya with extremely mixed feelings. The shock that Kai Ya had brought was just far too great. Many of them could not be comprehended with logic.

Her strength had increased so quickly that it was unbelievable. Her cultivation speed and ease of comprehending laws even made Jian Chen suspect that Kai Ya was the reincarnation of some supreme expert.

This was because according to his understanding, only a Primordial realm expert like fairy Hao Yue who retained all her memories could increase their strength so quickly.

"Kai Ya, your cultivation has been smooth sailing. It could even be called without any effort with no exaggeration. You haven't come across any bottlenecks at all. However, I must advise you to not cultivate too quickly, or your foundations will weaken," Jian Chen looked at Kai Ya and said sternly.

Kai Ya was not fairy Hao Yue after all. Jian Chen felt slightly worried about how quickly she had been cultivating.

He was worried that Kai Ya would suffer from extreme side effects from cultivating so quickly, which would affect her future.

She might even be doomed in the end.

"Yeah, I understand that as well. As a result, I don't plan on cultivating for the next period of time. Instead, I'll devote myself to consolidating my cultivation, just in case it really does lead to any side effects," Kai Ya agreed. After hesitating slightly, she stared at Jian Chen with brimming interest and said rather energetically, "Jian Chen, although I'm a late Overgod now, I only possess the strength. I haven't fought anyone before, so I don't know how powerful I actually am. Why don't we spar so that I can try my current battle prowess."

"Fair enough. The Saints' World is no different from the Tian Yuan Continent. You never had much battle experience on the Tian Yuan Continent. Now that you've come to the Saints' World, there's even more reason for you to gain some proper experience. At the same time, you've gained such a great amount of strength in such a short amount of time. This strength also needs to experience battle after battle. Only then will you be able to use it with familiarity," Jian Chen agreed extremely happily before leaving the Tian Yuan clan with Kai Ya.

As Kai Ya was already a late Overgod, the shockwaves of the battle between the two of them would definitely be far more than the provincial city could endure. As a result, Jian Chen chose to spar far away from the city. He selected a remote mountain range.

Jian Chen hovered above the mountains and looked at Kai Ya calmly, "Kai Ya, go ahead."

"Jian Chen, be careful," Kai Ya said sternly. With that, her presence changed suddenly. At the same time, the temperature in the surroundings skyrocketed. Fire appeared around Kai Ya, flickering in the space and giving off terrifying heat. It dyed the surroundings red.

The thick layer of clouds in the sky directly dispersed at that moment. The terrifying heat from Kai Ya's flames had vaporised them.

Jian Chen could not help but become rather stern as he stared at the Laws of Fire that filled Kai Ya's surroundings. He thought, "Strange. Kai Ya's Laws of Fire seem slightly different from other people's. It's as if her laws are even purer compared to the Laws of Fire from other late Overgods."

"If there were some impurities within the Laws of Fire from other Overgods, then Kai Ya's Laws of Fire would have no impurities at all. It is extremely pure."

Jian Chen felt extremely surprised once again. Kai Ya was simply extraordinary.

At this moment, Kai Ya moved. The flickering flames around her turned into an endless sea of fire, flying towards Jian Chen quickly with terrifying heat. The presence she gave off was even more surprising, directly plunging into the sky and shaking up the ground.

She sent out a palm strike, and the endless sea of fire moved with that. The flames all gathered together at that moment, compressing into the size of a hand. It shone with light as dazzling as the sun, preventing people from staring at it directly.

A gleam of light flickered through Jian Chen's eyes. He became extremely stern. He did not use the Startling Rainbow sword. Instead, he also struck out with his hand like Kai Ya.

The palm strike was accompanied by Chaotic Force, which gave off a presence of destruction. The Laws of the Sword revolved around it, so his strike possessed both black and white.

Boom!

The two strikes collided and produced a deep rumble. Terrifying energy shot off in all directions, and the mountains beneath them all crumbled, kicking dust into the air.

In the sky, Jian Chen and Kai Ya stood unmoving. Their hands remained pressed together. One of them shone with black and white light as Chaotic Force and the Laws of the Sword churned.

The other hand was dazzling, like the sun that had been shrunken. It was blinding and gave off a terrifying heat, turning the surroundings red as if even the air had been burnt.

Jian Chen shivered. Even though he had only used seventy percent of his strength in this strike, Kai Ya had managed to match him. This surprised him.

However, in the next moment, his hand moved such that only a few fingers remained extended. A beam of light three inches long shot out, and he directly slashed it at Kai Ya's hand.

Even though the sword Qi had shot out from Jian Chen's fingers, he was already using eighty percent of his strength, so the sword Qi could tear through almost anything. The Laws of Fire that had been suppressed in Kai Ya's hand were directly cleaved in half by Jian Chen, causing them to split.

However, the Laws of Fire did not disperse. Instead, they turned into two flaming streaks of red light as they shot towards Jian Chen with unbelievable speed.

At the same time, Kai Ya sent out a second palm strike. It was covered with flames as it crushed towards Jian Chen with great might.

Immediately, Jian Chen seemed to feel a mysterious power fill his surroundings as if he had fallen into mud. All his movements dulled.

Jian Chen's eyes narrowed. Kai Ya's strike had completely taken him by surprise. Moreover, he discovered that Kai Ya's usage of the Laws of Fire had already reached great mastery, and it was nothing like someone who had just comprehended laws.

Moreover, he could clearly sense that Kai Ya's strikes seemed to possess some type of profound truth. Clearly, it was just a simple strike, but it resonated with the world as if each strike was a battle skill, making it extremely powerful.

Everything happened in a split second. Just when the two strands of laws shot towards Jian Chen at great speed, Jian Chen extended his fingers as well, sending out two strands of sword Qi to block the two attacks from Kai Ya. Afterwards, he brought his hands together. Chaotic Force churned, and a black strand of sword Qi a meter in length appeared silently. He stabbed it out with the presence of destruction.

Even though the two of them were sparring to check on Kai Ya's strength, the two of them fought with great intensity. Booms rang out in the sky as the Laws of the Sword and the Laws of Fire mingled, colliding time and time again.

The mountains below had already been reduced to a mess. The countless specks of green on the mountains had been reduced to ash, and when some sparks fell down, the tough rock was even reduced to a red liquid in just a few short seconds.

Jian Chen's strength had gone up from the initial seventy percent to eighty percent now. However, when Kai Ya used her Laws of Destruction, combining them with the Laws of Fire, she forced Jian Chen to use ninety percent of his strength, even making him draw the Startling Rainbow sword.

Kai Ya's battle prowess had already surpassed the limits of late Overgod when she used the Laws of Destruction. It was basically approaching Godking.

It was not because the Laws of Destruction were too powerful. In terms of the simple rankings of offensive power, the Laws of Destruction were equal to the Laws of the Sword.

However, Kai Ya's Laws of Destruction were the same as her Laws of Fire. She was able to display extraordinary might as if she possessed unimaginable understanding and grasp over both the Laws of Fire and the Laws of Destruction. As a result, she could unleash power beyond her cultivation level.

Jian Chen even suspected that his understanding and grasp over the Laws of the Sword were not as great as Kai Ya's Laws of Fire and Destruction.

This was because Kai Ya's usage of the two laws would seem perfect even in Jian Chen's eyes from time to time. It was extraordinary.

"Is Kai Ya born to use the Laws of Fire and Destruction?" Jian Chen even experienced such strange thoughts.

However, at this moment, darkness descended. The world suddenly darkened as a huge, demonic cloud stretched over the sky, obscuring the sun and throwing the mountain range into darkness.

"Jian Chen, you sure are bold. You've offended our Empyrean Demon Cult, yet you're still not hiding properly in the royal capital so that the divine king can protect you. Instead, you come to this area of wilderness." A cold voice filled with killing intent rang out as the darkness descended.

The sudden change made Jian Chen and Kai Ya stop their spar. When the somewhat familiar voice rang out, Jian Chen's face abruptly changed.

"Huai An!" Jian Chen growled. He became extremely grim and pushed Kai Ya far away without any hesitation. He called out, "Run!"

Jian Chen had never thought that as one of the three great vice-leaders of the Empyrean Demon Cult, Huai An would come personally for him. This immediately made his heart sink.

Huan An was a Primordial realm expert. With Jian Chen's current strength, he could not even flee before someone like that.

Kai Ya did not run away. She arrived before Jian Chen again and raised her head at the sky. Her gaze seemed to be able to pierce through the dark clouds and see the figure hidden in there.

Seeing how Kai Ya did not run away, Jian Chen immediately panicked. He called out, "Why did you come back? Go, leave this place as quickly as possible."