Chapter 2021: A Soul-devouring Beast Herd
After passing through the spatial crack, Jian Chen returned to the outer space of the Saints' world. He sensed the rather familiar landscape of outer space around him as he felt uncontainable joy. At the same time, he was filled with amazement.
Jian Chen struggled to remain calm when he thought about how he had drifted through the spatial crack, encountering dangers several times as he basically walked on the edge between life and death.
He was able to survive so long in the spatial crack and make it through so many dangerous regions not due to his own strength, but because he had the tough Anatta Tower.
Without its help, Jian Chen was not even sure he could make it back to the Saints' World alive with Kai Ya and Chanlong.
With a flash, Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong appeared silently in the endless depths of outer space. Master Chanlong had emerged from seclusion recently and left the Anatta Tower with Jian Chen.
Both Kai Ya and master Chanlong felt like lucky survivors when they looked at the familiar landscape. They sighed emotionally.
"Master Chanlong, can you tell where we are right now?" Jian Chen looked around and asked Chanlong. Although they had escaped the spatial crack, Jian Chen had completely lost his bearings in outer space.
He had stowed the Anatta Tower away as soon as he emerged. There were just far too many matters that involved the Anatta Tower, so he could not expose it. He was only bold enough to use it in the abnormal space within spatial cracks. Once he returned to the Saints' World, he did not dare to take it out with his current strength.
Master Chanlong stared at the boundless space in confusion and shook his head, "It's the first time I've left the Cloud Plane as well. I don't have any star charts on me, so I don't know where we are either."
Jian Chen sighed gently with that. He said, "If that's the case, we can only choose a direction and hope we come across someone we can talk to."
Afterwards, Jian Chen and Kai Ya entered a carriage that master Chanlong had taken out. It was powered through formations, and after choosing a direction, it shot off.
This journey would be a long one in outer space. The carriage was not even one ten-thousandth of the spatial battleship's speed. Even after several days of riding the carriage, the stars around them did not seem to move at all. It formed a stark contrast to when the stars shot past in the surroundings on the spatial battleship before.
However, the three of them were prepared for this. As a result, they cultivated in the carriage while they moved along.
Several days later, Jian Chen and Kai Ya opened their eyes at the same time. They looked into the distance and saw over thirty huge space beasts appear. The space beasts' eyes were red as they shot towards the carriage.
"There's one early Godking. The rest of them are Overgods and Gods," Jian Chen stared at the space beasts in the distance.
Space beasts were different from magical beasts. They only thrived in space and hunted and bred there. They absorbed the cosmic energy in space to strengthen themselves, and they basically never approached the planes or planets people inhabited.
This was because the boundless outer space was where they belonged. It was there home, just like how a few human experts were used to living on land. Even if the seas and oceans drowned out the land, they would not go live in the water.
However, perhaps due to an innate deficiency, the space beasts suffered from slight imperfections. As a result, they were unable to assume human forms. No matter how powerful they were, they were unable to change their appearance, and their intellect would remain low.
Even though some powerful existences possessed impressive intellect, it was nowhere close to the schemes that humans could come up with.
"Let's go deal with them as quickly as possible," suggested Kai Ya.
Jian Chen nodded and immediately charged out of the carriage with Kai Ya, killing their way towards the space beasts.
Such a small group of space beasts was naturally no problem for Jian Chen and Kai Ya. Very soon, Jian Chen slew the Godking space beast and collected its energy crystal.
Kai Ya also slaughtered the remaining space beasts. At the same time, she took away their energy crystals before returning to the carriage with Jian Chen to continue on their way.
Time passed silently. Unknowingly, the three of them had already drifted through the deathly silent outer space for over a year. It was not too peaceful along the way. Space beasts regularly attacked them such that the carriage they used had already been destroyed, forcing them to fly by themselves.
Across that time, countless space beasts died to their hands. Even Godking space beasts amounted to over a dozen. They had even encountered a late Godking space beast once.
The three of them had fought through that battle with great difficulty, and they all suffered injuries of varying degrees. In the end, Jian Chen and Kai Ya took on the responsibility of keeping the space beast busy while master Chanlong cast down his most powerful killing formation. They only managed to defeat it under the assistance of the killing formation.
Moving through outer space was extremely dangerous. If it were not for Jian Chen and Kai Ya, two people with extraordinary battle prowesses, they would probably be dead. Probably even many Godkings would not be able to survive the threats they faced and would end up dead in the mouths of the space beasts.
Just when the three of them passed by a meteorite, there was a sudden deep buzz. A large black mass surged out from the meteorite, forming a cloud that quickly began to surround the three of them.
Their faces changed at this sight. They could already see that the black cloud was composed of winged space beast around half the size of a human. Although their individual strength was not great, the number of them made their scalps tingle.
In just a few seconds, the number of space beasts that had flown out reached over a million, and the number continued to increase at an extremely terrifying rate.
"Let's go!" Jian Chen called out before fleeing quickly with Kai Ya and master Chanlong.
There were just far too many space beasts. Once they were completely surrounded, it would be very difficult to break free.
However, they still ended up underestimating the small space beasts that were not so powerful. Their wings buzzed, and they moved extremely quickly like streaks of light. They surrounded the three of them very soon.
With a wave of his hand, Jian Chen produced a great streak of light and killed several dozen of them instantly before attempting to charge out with Kai Ya and master Chanlong.
However, just when the three of them had been surrounded, a silver-white streak suddenly shot over from the distance. It was a spaceship only a few hundred meters long, and it moved extremely quickly.
The spaceship was originally just passing by, but when it passed by the space beasts, it suddenly slowed down before stopping in the distance.
"I never thought I'd encounter a herd of Soul-devouring Beasts here. Since there's a herd, there must be a Soul-devouring Beast King," an old voice suddenly rang out from inside the silver-white spaceship. There was quite some joy and surprise in the voice.
Chapter 2022: The Beast King Appears
As the voice rang out, an old man in brown robes silently appeared on the spaceship's deck. He stared at the group of Soul-devouring Beasts that attacked Jian Chen's group with quite some delight.
"The essence blood of the Soul-devouring Beast King is crucial for refining the Cloudrise Pill, while the soul of the Soul-devouring Beast King is one of the important materials for the Soul Vitality Pill. These pills are both God Tier," the brown-robed old man murmured to himself as his eyes shone brighter and brighter.
Soul-devouring Beast Kings were extremely rare in the Saints' World, as not only did they live in the boundless outer space, making it almost impossible to find them, but there were extremely few of them as well. Hence, it was very difficult to encounter them usually.
It would be a great fortune whenever someone found a Soul-devouring Beast King.
This was because the Soul-devouring Beast King was basically a living treasure. The two God Tier pills both required crucial ingredients from the Soul-devouring Beast King.
"Great elder, have we already arrived at the Neptunean Divine Palace?" At this moment, a middle-aged man appeared beside the old man. He behaved with respect as he looked around the surroundings in doubt.
The brown-robed old man looked at the trio trapped by the Soul-devouring Beasts and said, "There's still some more traveling to do before we reach the Neptunean Divine Palace. However, we might be able to benefit greatly from here."
"Benefit greatly?" The middle-aged man appeared to be puzzled. However, when he discovered the herd of Soul-devouring Beasts up ahead, his eyes immediately lit up, "With such a big herd of Soul-devouring Beasts, there must be a Soul-devouring Beast King. I never thought we'd come across such a great fortune on our way to the Neptunean Divine Palace. Great elder, if we obtain a single Soul-devouring Beast King and refine the Cloudrise Pill and Soul Vitality Pill, it'll hold great significance to the clan."
The great elder nodded, "That's right. The Cloudrise Pill can increase the cultivation of people, and it's priceless, while the Soul Vitality Pill is a God Tier pill for injuries to the soul, making it even more precious. An ancestral emperor of the eternal Sky Empire just happens to possess an injured soul, and he still hasn't recovered yet. Once we refine the Soul Vitality Pill from the Soul-devouring Beast King's soul and offer it to the ancestral emperor, it'll be a great merit for our Yun family. Our status in the southern region will rise up as a result."
The middle-aged man was clearly overjoyed as well. He said, "The great elder cannot be more correct. Our Yun family might even be able to use this opportunity to form close ties with the Sky Empire. If that really does happen, will there still be anyone in the southern region who dares to provoke our Yun family?"
Then, the middle-aged man looked at Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong, and a strange light flickered through his eyes. He said, "The three people encircled by the Soul-devouring Beasts possess extraordinary strength. They're clearly Overgods, yet I can feel a presence no weaker than a Godking from two of them."
"The young man and woman are indeed very powerful. They must be supreme Overgods on the Overgods' Plaque, and they must rank pretty high as well. It's just a pity that they've encountered a herd of Soul-devouring Beasts. These space beasts don't possess much individual strength, but there are so many of them that it'll just be an endless slaughter. Even Godkings can be overwhelmed by so many Soul-devouring Beast. If the three of them don't have any methods of escape, they'll be done for today." The great elder nodded, "However, if it weren't for the three of them that lured out the herd of Soul-devouring Beasts, I would not have been able to discover the Soul-devouring Beast King here. Since that's the case, allow me to help them out so that they can break free. It's just that there are countless more Soul-devouring Beasts hidden within the meteorite. Their existence can lure them all out, which will save me some work. I'll be able to deal with the Soul-devouring Beast King with even less difficulty."
The great elder did not interfere in a hurry. Instead, he observed from the deck of the silver-white spaceship.
On the other side, the trio was completely surrounded by the Soul-devouring Beasts now. At the very start, there were only around a million of them, but it had reached into the tens of millions or even over a hundred million as Soul-devouring Beasts constantly emerged from the meteorite. From afar, it truly flooded the surroundings, making it a numbing sight.
Even though the Soul-devouring Beasts were not powerful, without a single Godking appearing among them, the number was just too great for Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong to kill through or even break free from.
Surrounded by so many Soul-devouring Beasts, Jian Chen remained calm and sent out the senses of his soul on the contrary. He carefully observed the meteorite in the distance.
A while later, when Soul-devouring Beasts stopped flying out from the meteorite, Jian Chen understood that probably all the space beasts hidden in there had come out already.
At the same time, the light in the great elder's eyes who stood on the deck of his spaceship shone with excitement. The time to kill the Soul-devouring Beast King had arrived.
However, just when the great elder rose up, a cold light flickered through Jian Chen's eyes. He used the power from the ancient Skywolf's bloodline within him and unleashed a howl.
Immediately, a proud wolf's howl rang through the surroundings. At that moment, Jian Chen was clearly just a late Overgod, but he erupted with an extremely terrifying presence. A huge wolf seemed to appear behind him, giving off a supreme pressure, where even the celestial bodies trembled.
A terrifying sound wave in the form of a visible ripple expanded into the surroundings rapidly.
The sound wave possessed extremely terrifying power, where the countless Soul-devouring Beasts around Jian Chen were shaken to dust from it. In the blink of an eye, an area of several hundred meters across opened up around Jian Chen.
Although the Soul-devouring Beasts beyond that range had not been reduced to dust, they were still shaken to pieces.
Even though many Soul-devouring Beasts had not been torn apart in even further places, they still died to the sound wave.
In just that short period of time, over half of the countless Soul-devouring Beasts had died to Jian Chen's howl. Although the remaining space beasts survived out of pure luck, they were all stunned as if they had lost their souls. They did not attack the three of them.
"Let's go!"
Jian Chen called out to signal to Kai Ya and master Chanlong before immediately charging out as quickly as he could. Now that no Soul-devouring Beasts pursued them, it was their only opportunity to leave this place. Once the surviving Soul-devouring Beasts recovered, they would not be able to leave again.
This was because the wolf's howl was unleashed through the power of the ancient Skywolf's bloodline. Now that all the power had been used up, it was impossible to use it a second time without a period of recovery.
The great elder and the middle-aged man watched on from the distance. Shock and disbelief filled their faces.
"W- what is this battle skill? How does it possess such might?" Seeing how the number of Soul-devouring Beasts had been instantly halved, the middle-aged man felt his mouth grow dry. He was completely shocked.
"What a terrifying howl," the great elder was also shocked. He seemed to remember something afterwards, and he immediately approached the meteorite. With a single step, he crossed the vast distance and appeared on it.
As soon as Jian Chen's group charged out from the encirclement, they discovered that a spaceship was parked silently in the distance.
The spaceship was extremely far away from where they were. Coupled with the fact that they were completely focused on dealing with the Soul-devouring Beasts, they did not sense its existence at all, nor did they sense when it had arrived.
It was also at this moment that a screech rang out from the meteorite. A Soul-devouring Beast that was three meters long and flickered with violet light flew out. It was furious, directly charging towards Jian Chen's group.
Beside it were eight other Soul-devouring Beasts of similar sizes. They all were on par with Godkings and followed the Soul-devouring Beast King like guards.
As for the Soul-devouring Beast King, it was not weak either, having reached the peak of Godking.
Chapter 2023: The Neptunean Divine Palace (One)
The expressions of Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong all changed suddenly when they saw the Soul-devouring Beast King that charged over from behind. Once it caught up to them, they would definitely encounter a tough battle.
"Hehe. Soul-devouring Beast King, I was just looking for you. I never thought you'd actually come out yourself. How nice." However, at this moment, the old man in brown robes suddenly appeared. His eyes shone as he stared at the Soul-devouring Beast King with excitement and struck out.
The old man was extremely powerful, far greater than any Godking. With just a wave of his hand, terrifying energy shook up the surrounding space, and the laws of the Primordial realm descended, turning into several powerful energy attacks directed at the Soul-devouring Beasts.
The might that the old man displayed shocked the violet Soul-devouring Beast King. It immediately let out a sharp screech, and it began to shine brightly with violet light. It came to a halt and began to retreat, turning into a blur. It fled into the distance with its greatest speed. In the blink of an eye, it became a black speck. It was about to vanish into the horizon.
As a peak Godking, the Soul-devouring Beast King indeed possessed some ability to escape from Primordial realm experts. However, the eight other Godking Soul-devouring Beasts around it did not possess such ability. The terrifying attacks of the old man struck them, and they all died.
"Hehe, since you've come across me, Soul-devouring Beast King, how can I let you escape?" The old man sneered. He opened his hand, and an imprint the size of a fist appeared. He directly pushed out with it.
The imprint broke away from the old man's hand and swelled to several thousand meters wide in the space. It directly shattered the space there as it shot towards the Soul-devouring Beast King with destructive might. Space rippled wherever it passed by.
On the other side, Jian Chen's group stopped as well. They looked at the old man deal with the Soul-devouring Beast King sternly as they paid attention to the silver-white spaceship in the distance.
"Looking at the size of the spaceship, it probably belongs to a sect or clan that has even Primordial realm experts. Let's not make too much contact with them. Let's go," said Jian Chen. Although he wanted to ask about his current location very much, the appearance of the Primordial realm expert had made him dismiss such thoughts.
Naturally, Kai Ya had no objections to Jian Chen's suggestion. Seeing how Kai Ya did not object, master Chanlong went along with Jian Chen's idea as well after hesitating slightly.
"Hold on, you three fellows!"
However, at this moment, a voice rang out from behind, The middle-aged man on the spaceship arrived before the three of them and clasped his fist with a smile, "I come from the Yun family of the Sky Empire on the Profound Thunder Plane. My name is Yun Lianqing. Seeing that you're here, you must be proceeding to the Neptunean Divine Palace."
The three of them frowned when they heard that. They felt confused. What kind of place was the Neptunean Divine Palace? Why did he think that they were going to the Neptunean Divine Palace as soon as he saw them?
Yun Lianqing paused. When he saw how the three of them had no intentions of talking, he continued, "The space where we are right now is extremely far away from the Heniu Plane where the Neptunean Divine Palace is located. If you don't have a spaceship, it'll take several decades to get to the plane even with the speed of Godkings. Seeing how you don't seem to have a spaceship, you are welcome to hitch a ride on our Yun family's spaceship if you don't mind. We just happen to be able to take you with us."
Yun Lianqing spoke extremely sincerely. He had invited them from the bottom of his heart, as he had properly observed their strength from the spaceship earlier. As a result of what he had witnessed, he, a mid Godking, did not act haughty at all before them, treating them as equals.
"You've misunderstood, sir Yun. We're not going to the Neptunean Divine Palace. We just encountered the attack of a powerful space beast, causing us to lose our bearings in outer space. If it's convenient for you, could you tell us where the closest plane is?" Jian Chen clasped his fist.
This immediately surprised Yun Lianqing.
"Hahaha, it's all because of the three of you that I was able to capture the Soul-devouring Beast King. If you had not drawn the Soul-devouring beasts out and had not raised out attention when you faced the attacks of the Soul-devouring Beasts, we would have never known that a Soul-devouring Beast King would be hidden in such a small meteorite as we hurried past." At this moment, the brown-robed old man made his way over with a flushed face. He laughed aloud, as he was in a great mood.
Then, the old man said, "From where we are right now, the closest plane is the Heniu Plane. With the speed of our spaceship, we can reach there in roughly half a year. Without a spaceship, it'll probably take several decades or even over a hundred years to reach the plane at the speed of a Godking, and that's only if there are no ambushes from space beasts. Otherwise, it'll take even longer. Since you're lost in outer space, and you don't have a spaceship, why don't you board our Yun family's spaceship?"
"If that's the case, then we can only disturb you," Jian Chen agreed in the end after some thought.
In reality, Jian Chen had been worrying about the Yun family's spaceship the entire time because the battle prowess and talent he and Kai Ya had displayed were just too shocking. He believed that the people of the Yun family had clearly witnessed his battle against the Soul-devouring Beasts.
Many large organisations would want to rope in powerful prodigies through various methods so that they could raise a sharp weapon. If they were unable to rope them in, some organisations would even take extreme actions. As a result, boarding the spaceship of the Yun family posed a certain amount of risk to Jian Chen.
However, now that their Primordial realm expert had already appeared, it was impossible for them to escape anyway if the Yun family had any ill intentions.
Since that was already a possibility, he just acted with a broad mind and boarded the spaceship of the Yun family. Naturally, it would be for the best if the Yun family had no ill intentions, as it would save them several decades worth of travelling time. If they did have any other ideas, he could try to befriend them at the very least before they completely fell out.
After a simple introduction, they all boarded the spaceship that was only a few hundred meters in length. The great elder of the Yun family had departed, leaving Yun Lianqing to receive the three of them.
"Jian Chen, Kai Ya, Chanlong, have you ever heard of the Neptunean Divine Palace?" Yun Lianqing asked the three of them.
Chapter 2024: The Neptunean Divine Palace (Two)
Jian Chen could not help but grow curious about the Neptunean Divine Palace now that he had heard of it again.
"Sir, this is the first time we've come here, and it is also the first time we've heard of the Neptunean Divine Palace. May I ask what kind of place this Neptunean Divine Palace is such that it receives so much of your attention?" Jian Chen asked with a clasped fist.
Yun Lianqing was immediately surprised when he heard that the three of them had no idea what the Neptunean Divine Palace was at all. However, he soon seemed to think of something, and he immediately grew enthusiastic. He looked at Jian Chen and Kai Ya and said, "Since you don't know what the Neptunean Divine Palace is, allow me to explain its origins."
Yun Lianqing paused there. He looked at the vast space outside and checked over his memories. Only after tidying up his thoughts did he say, "The Neptunean Divine Palace has existed for far longer than the history of our Yun family, so our understanding of the place also comes from information collected through various means in the Saints' World and some rumors."
"There's an extremely ancient rumor in the Saints' World that an extremely powerful sect used to be on the Heniu Plane. This sect was called the Daoist Sect of Neptunea. The sect was extremely powerful, not only possessing millions of disciples, but they also had four supreme experts. These four experts were all Grand Primes, and they were known as the four great ancestors of the Daoist Sect of Neptunea!"
The light in Yun Lianqing's eyes changed. Even with his mental fortitude as a Godking, he struggled to remain calm at that moment. His breathing became slightly ragged as obvious respect and eagerness appeared in his eyes. He said in amazement, "Grand Primes are existences who stand at the very apex of the Saints' World. People like them can destroy a single eternal empire or sect with a wave of their hand, yet there was a total of four of them in the sect. You should be able to see just how terrifyingly powerful the Daoist Sect of Neptunea was from that."
"A sect that actually had four Grand Primes. This Daoist Sect of Neptunea really is terrifying," Jian Chen could not help but sigh in amazement as well.
"The Daoist Sect of Neptunea. The Daoist Sect of Neptunea..." Master Chanlong murmured to himself as he seemed to be recalling his memories. For some reason, he experienced another sense of familiarity when he heard the name of the sect as if he had heard it before, but he could not remember when or how.
"That's not all of it. There's a rumor from millions of years ago in the Saints' World that one of the four ancestors reached the peak of Grand Prime, only a single step away from Grand Exalt. They were known as one of the most powerful people below Grand Exalt," Yun Lianqing sighed in amazement as his emotions swelled. As a Godking, he struggled to remain calm when he mentioned these paramount existences.
"Sir, it seems like the Daoist Sect of Neptunea is related to the Neptunean Divine Palace, right?" Jian Chen asked curiously.
Yun Lianqing nodded, "Indeed, they are related. This is because the Neptunean Divine Palace is the supreme divine hall of the Daoist Sect of Neptunea as well as the only remaining object from the Daoist Sect of Neptunea."
Jian Chen was stunned. He asked, "The only object remaining? Was the Daoist Sect of Neptunea destroyed?"
"Sigh," Yun Lianqing let out a long exhale. He said, "Yeah, they were destroyed. The powerful Daoist Sect of Neptunea was actually destroyed. It was said that they were destroyed by an unimaginably terrifying existence. It's quite unbelievable whenever I mention it."
Jian Chen gasped. The Daoist Sect of Neptunea had a total of four Grand Primes, and one of them was even one of the most powerful people below Grand Exalt. With such a powerful group of people, a single person actually destroyed them. This was just far too shocking.
Yun Lianqing continued, "You'd think that the Daoist Sect of Neptunea was destroyed by the legendary Grand Exalts of our Saints' World, but that's not the case because there's a rumor that has withstood the test of time. It's said that the sect's destruction was not caused by the Grand Exalts of our Saints' World, but a supreme expert from another world."
Jian Chen's heart shivered when he heard that. He immediately thought of the Immortals' World when another world was mentioned.
This was because only the Immortals' World possessed such strength from his understanding.
After all, the Immortals' World also had five Grand Exalts, and they had even fought a war with the Saints' World. Several Grand Exalts had fallen during that clash.
"The Immortals' World!" Jian Chen thought. Although he was in the Saints' World right now, he technically belonged to the Immortals' World because the legacy he had obtained came from the Immortals' World, and so did the sword spirits.
Yun Lianqing sucked in a deep breath and said, "Our Yun family has only been established for a little over a million years, so our heritage isn't particularly great. As a result, we don't possess a lot of information, and we naturally can't verify this information either. It's just rumored that the other world is a place called the Immortals' World."
"It's said that the Immortals' World is an extremely powerful world, similar to our Saints' World in strength. The expert who destroyed the Daoist Sect of Neptunea is a terrifying existence called the Samsaric Immortal Exalt. Even with the Daoist Sect of Neptunea's full strength, they were not his opponent."
Chanlong's eyes became even more lost when he heard the mention of the Samsaric Immortal Exalt. He also felt that this name was somewhat familiar.
He was not the only one. Even the trapped soul in his Space Ring felt the same.
"Who is the Samsaric Immortal Exalt? Have we seen him before? No, I've never heard of a person like this before, much less see them," the trapped soul murmured secretly.
Yun Lianqing continued, "This is because the Samsaric Immortal Exalt is no weaker than the Grand Exalts of our world. He's also an existence that has become a part of the universe, making him extremely terrifying."
"Before the Daoist Sect of Neptunea was destroyed, all the experts of the sect hid in the Neptunean Divine Palace. However, the Samsaric Immortal Exalt controlled the power of samsara. He could rule over the universe and forcefully reverse yin and yang. He sent all the experts hidden within the Neptunean Divine Palace into samsara."
"However, whether they do go through samsara is not up to the Samsaric Immortal Exalt to decide. As a result, although it was said that all the people of the Neptunean Divine Palace were sent into samsara, none of them had the chance to reincarnate in reality. They were completely killed off."
"However, before the experts of the sect died, they left behind their legacies in the Neptunean Divine Palace. It's said that just when the Samsaric Immortal Exalt wanted to destroy the Neptunean Divine Hall, a Grand Exalt of our world appeared."
"Afterwards, the Neptunean Divine Palace remained. But due to the formations there, it would only open once every ten thousand years. Additionally, due to the many legacies left behind by the experts of the Daoist Sect of Neptunea before they passed away, it has become a land of fortune for the cultivators of our Saints' World." Yun Lianqing looked at the three of them and said, "And now, you know the origins of the Neptunean Divine Palace."
Jian Chen exhaled deeply and said, "I never thought the Neptunean Divine Palace would have gone through something like that. The strength of the Samsaric Immortal Exalt sure is astonishing. He was actually able to destroy a sect as powerful as the Daoist Sect of Neptunea all by himself with so much ease. Grand Exalts truly are powerful and terrifying."
"Moreover, the Grand Exalt of the Saints' World only appeared after he had slaughtered the entire sect. That means he had an extremely short amount of time to kill everybody."
Jian Chen slowly calmed down. He stared at Yun Lianqing with great interest as he asked calmly, "When you first met us, you thought we were going to the Neptunean Divine Palace. Is it opening once again?"
"That's right. The date when it opens is indeed drawing close. It'll open again soon. However, not everyone can enter the Neptunean Divine Palace. You need to be Godking or below, and once you surpass Godking, you won't be able to enter." Yun Lianqing had already recovered. He looked at Jian Chen's group and continued, "Moreover, you need to possess a Neptunean Medallion to enter. That's the key to the Neptunean Divine Palace."
Chapter 2025: Obtaining Spots
Jian Chen frowned when he heard that. He said, "Do you know how to obtain a Neptunean Medallion? And the Neptunean Divine Palace has already existed for over a million years, and it opens once every ten thousand years. That means that it has been opened many times already across the years. Even if there are legacies in there, they're probably all gone, right?"
Yun Lianqing nodded slightly, "The Neptunean Medallion is actually a disciple's medallion for the Daoist Sect of Neptunea. When the great elders of the Daoist Sect of Neptunea were forced into desperate straits by the Samsaric Immortal Exalt of the Immortals' World, they cast down a powerful formation to disperse the medallion across the Saints' World together. Obtaining it would depend on one's personal strength and luck."
"Of course, a few Neptunean Medallions would wound up in various auctions before being purchased by various large organisations at a great price. Even our Yun family would struggle to pay such a great price."
Yun Lianqing looked at Jian Chen deeply and said with deep meaning, "Our Yun family also has a Neptunean Medallion. A single medallion can let twenty people in. If the three of you are interested in the Neptunean Divine Palace, I can make the decision to give you three spots."
"Of course, please do not worry, brother Jian Chen. Although the Neptunean Divine Palace has been opened many times and many people have obtained great fortunes and legacies from there, there are still many legacies and treasure that remain unobtained."
"At the very least, of the legacies of the four Grand Prime ancestors of the Daoist Sect of Neptunea, only one of them has been obtained in the past few million years. The three others remain in the Neptunean Divine Palace."
"As long as you're Godking or below, you can enter the Neptunean Divine Palace. Coupled with how great of a temptation the palace is, wouldn't there be extremely many Godkings that enter when it opens? There might even be countless late Godkings. With the cultivations of us three at mere Overgod, how would we be able to stand up against a group of Godkings?" Kai Ya asked with a frown. She and Jian Chen were indeed very powerful, but when they fought alone, they could only barely handle mid Godkings.
Although the three of them had killed a late Godking space beast when they worked together, space beasts possessed poor intellect. They could not be compared to the scheming Godkings experienced in battle. Dealing with them would naturally be far more difficult, and only space beasts of particularly powerful bloodlines were exceptions.
Yun Lianqing smiled, "You don't need to worry about that. Although the Neptunean Divine Palace is primarily a battlefield between Godkings, basically all the Godkings have gone there for the legacies of the ancestors. Overgods can wander the more remote areas in search of their own fortunes."
Jian Chen became rather tempted. He did not care about those legacies from the Daoist Sect of Neptunea.
This was because he cultivated the Chaotic Body. Even if he obtained a Grand Prime's legacy, it would mostly be useless to him.
However, the Daoist Sect of Neptunea was a superpower in the past after all, so there should be quite a few five-colored divine crystals inside the divine palace.
Jian Chen needed five-colored divine crystals the most right now. Once he had enough of them, he could use the teleportation formations to move between planes in search of his sister, Ming Dong, and Shangguan Mu'er, who had been taken away to the Daoist Sect of Divine Sound on the Skyfire Plane.
As for Tie Ta on the Godnigma Plane, Jian Chen did not plan to go there, at least until he was powerful enough.
His sister had Shui Yunlan, while Ming Dong would probably still be in the Anatta Grand Prime's Heavenly Palace of Bisheng if nothing went wrong. The person he truly worried about was Shangguan Mu'er.
After asking for Kai Ya and master Chanlong's thoughts secretly, Jian Chen said firmly, "I'm sure you're not just going to take out three spots for nothing. Let's talk about the conditions."
Yun Lianqing chuckled aloud, "Brother Jian Chen is indeed straightforward. If that's the case, I'll cut right to the chase. My request is very simple. I only hope that once you enter the Neptunean Divine Palace, you can protect the young lady of our Yun family for a year. During that year, please assist her as much as you can such that she obtains any legacy in there. The Neptunean Divine Palace closes after ten years, so you can spend the remaining nine years as you wish to search for your own fortunes."
"Although our Yun family also has Godkings entering the Neptunean Divine Palace, their main intentions are for the legacies in there, so I won't be able to maneuver many people to protect our young lady."
"Alright, we agree," Jian Chen responded extremely straightforwardly. To him, spending a year to protect the young lady of the Yun family in exchange for a chance to enter the divine palace was not a bad deal.
...
Elsewhere in the spaceship, there was a room mainly decorated with pink. The entire place was filled with a gentle fragrance such that it was obvious that a woman stayed there.
"What? Uncle Qing, you just found three random people in outer space to be my guards? And you want to remove Hua Qi, Tang Ling, and Zhou Xiaoqian?"
The woman in a pink dress stood quietly in the room. She seemed to be in her twenties, and her skin was snow-white while her appearance was comely. She was quite pretty. Currently, she stared at Yun Lianqing, who stood before her, in surprise.
This woman was the young lady of the Yun family, Yun Xin.
But very soon, Yun Xin became angered. She said firmly, "No, I don't agree to it. I spent a great amount of effort to persuade my father so that Hua Qi, Tang Ling, and Zhou Xiaoqian would be my guards in the Neptunean Divine Palace. How can you just change them?"
Yun Lianqing said, "Xin'er, uncle Qing understands that you're on good terms with the three of them, and I also know you spent a great deal of effort to persuade your father, making him agree to you taking the three of them with you. However, the Neptunean Divine Palace is simply far too dangerous. With Hua Qi, Tang Ling, and Zhou Xiaoqian's strength, they can't protect you at all. Every single person out of the three people I've found is extremely powerful. They're enough to make it onto the Overgods' Plaque."
"So what if they're supreme Overgods? Are supreme Overgods invincible in there? Aren't there many supreme Overgods and Godkings from both the Overgods' Plaque and the Godkings' Throne who take part every time the Neptunean Divine Palace is opened? Moreover, it's just training for me when I go in this time. I'm not really going to go fight for some legacy. The Godkings in the clan will go fight for those so-called legacies. It has nothing to do with me, so why must you change my guards?" Yun Xin's beautiful face was filled with dissatisfaction and fury.
"Xin'er, you can't change this matter because I've only done it with the great elder's permission. If you refuse to accept this, you can only go find the great elder yourself," Yun Lianqing smiled gently.
Yun Xin's face changed when she heard that. Although her status in the Yun family was impressive, she understood extremely well that she could do nothing before the great elders that even her own father showed much respect to.
Chapter 2026: Chanlong Breaks Through
In the dark, icy boundless cosmos, a streak of silver-white light flashed by, moving through space at a speed several times greater than lightning.
It was a spaceship several hundred meters in length. Right now, Jian Chen was dressed in robes as he sat on a soft, comfortable bed within one of the quiet cabins. He tidied through the items he obtained from killing space beasts in the past few days.
"There are over thirty Overgod level energy crystals and eight Godking level energy crystals..." Jian Chen murmured inside. He had obtained all these after he set foot in outer space.
Of course, he had killed far more Overgod and Godking space beasts, but not all of them went to him. Kai Ya and master Chanlong both got a share each. Moreover, many special species of space beasts did not produce energy crystals, so even though the group had killed many space beasts during their time in outer space, they only possessed so little after dividing them up amongst themselves.
The Soul-devouring Beasts they recently encountered were also a species that did not produce any energy crystals.
"Although the energy crystals from the space beasts are condensed from pure energy, they're clearly different from monster cores. The energy in the energy crystals is much more chaotic and unstable, so refining them will be more difficult than refining monster cores."
"However, the Chaotic Body I cultivate does not fear this at all. The side effects of absorbing these energy crystals pose absolutely no harm to me..." Jian Chen thought. At the same time, he felt rather helpless.
In the past, his comprehension of the Laws of the Sword far exceeded his personal cultivation. He only lacked large amounts of resources.
But now, he had already prepared all the resources for breaking through to the next layer, but he still had not broken through with his comprehension; this limited his cultivation such that he was unable to break through with the Chaotic Body.
"I hope I can reach the major achievement of sword spirit in the Neptunean Divine Palace. On a battlefield for Godkings, I can't last for long at all with my current cultivation at late Overgod. Mid Godkings are my limit if I were to fight alone, and they have to be regular mid Godkings."
"Only when I reach the major achievement of Sword Spirit and reach the twelfth layer of the Chaotic Body will I be able to put up a fight against late Godkings..." Jian Chen peered through his small window to looked out at the space outside as he felt eager.
He was eager for the Neptunean Divine Palace.
At this moment, a powerful presence appeared in one of Jian Chen's neighboring cabins. Jian Chen was slightly surprised when he sensed the presence, but he soon smiled faintly and stood up.
The cabins to Jian Chen's left and right housed Kai Ya and Chanlong. The presence originated from Chanlong's room.
The presence had already surpassed Overgod and reached Godking.
Master Chanlong had actually broken through at this moment, formally becoming a Godking.
Very soon, Yun Lianqing arrived. He went to congratulate Chanlong on his breakthrough with Jian Chen and Kai Ya.
"Yun Lianqing, who're they?" At this moment, a rather cold voice rang out. A young man in luxurious robes with golden lining walked over from afar. He seemed to be in his twenties.
Behind the young man were six other people of various ages.
Without any exception, all of them were Godkings.
They were the peak power of the Yun family. Now that the Yun family had obtained a Neptunean Medallion this time, they basically sent the peak force of the entire clan in search of fortunes so that they could forge a brand new future for the Yun family. There were over ten Godkings.
If it were not for the fact that the Yun family had no more Godkings, they would be tempted to fill up all twenty spots of their Neptunean Medallion with Godkings.
The presence from Chanlong's breakthrough to Godking had clearly alerted the experts of the Yun family who also cultivated in the spaceship.
Yun Lianqing immediately introduced Jian Chen and the others, and he stressed that Jian Chen and Kai Ya were supreme Overgods on the Overgods' Plaque.
"Jian Chen? Kai Ya?" The young man, Yun Weifeng, frowned. He studied Jian Chen and Kai Ya with a glare and growled, "I remember all the names of the supreme Overgods on the Overgods' Plaque. However, your names don't seem to be on there."
Before Jian Chen could say anything, Yun Weifeng looked at Yun Lianqing and frowned. He said with quite some displeasure, "Yun Lianqing, since our clan still has a few spots to spare, and we've decided to send in some Overgods, they must all come from our Yun family. How can you just give these spots to outsiders? Moreover, your reasoning is hilarious. Do you seriously believe that any person you come across who claims to be a supreme Overgod on the Overgods' Plaque is actually a supreme Overgod? Hmph, their names aren't on the Overgods' Plaque at all."
Yun Lianqing's face suddenly sank. He called out, "Yun Weifeng. Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and Chanlong are our esteemed guests. How can you speak to them like that? Moreover, I didn't make the decision. The great elder approved this personally. If you have any problems with it, you are more than welcome to find the great elder."
Yun Weifeng immediately showed respect on his face when the great elder was mentioned. He looked at Jian Chen and Kai Ya deeply without saying anything else. He turned around and left.
After Yun Weifeng had left with his people, Yun Lianqing immediately smiled and apologised, "Jian Chen, Kai Ya, I hope you don't take offence for what has just happened."
Jian Chen smiled freely. He did not take it to heart at all. After conversing with Yun Lianqing a little more, they went their separate ways.
The next part of the journey was quiet. Although there were quite a few people on the spaceship, basically everyone was in secluded cultivation during the journey, conditioning themselves to their peak for the upcoming battle. As a result, Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and Chanlong passed that period of time peacefully. No one came to disturb them.
"We're here!"
At this moment, the great elder of the Yun family's voice rang through the entire spaceship.
Jian Chen slowly opened his eyes and emerged from his room. He arrived on the deck with Kai Ya and Chanlong.
When they arrived on the deck, over twenty people had already gathered there. Jian Chen's group was the last to arrive.
Chapter 2027: The Divine Palace Opens (One)
As soon as Jian Chen's group made it onto the deck, the people from the Yun family gathered there all turned around and looked at them.
Only Yun Lianqing treated the three of them amiably, immediately clasping his fist at them with a smile to expression his goodwill. It was completely sincere, without any faking at all.
As for the other people of the Yun family, roughly half of them, with Yun Weifeng as their leader, looked at Jian Chen's group with great hostility. The other half was cold, and their faces did not change at all. They seemed condescending as they studied Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong emotionlessly.
Although it was the first time many of them had seen Jian Chen and the others, they had learnt of their existence several months ago. They also knew that these people took up three spots of their Yun family's Neptunean Medallion.
Although this displeased many people of the Yun family, they knew that the great elder had approved this, so they deeply suppressed their displeasure.
However, the beautiful young lady of the Yun family in a pink dress immediately became furious when she saw Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong arrive. She planted her hands on her hips and called out, "The three of you, how can you be so late as my guards? Since you're guards, you should understand your responsibilities as guards. But why do I feel like you don't even know what a guard should do and what they should be aware of normally?"
The young lady, Yun Xin, spoke louder and louder. At the same time, her expression grew colder and colder. She looked at Yun Lianqing unhappily and pointed at the trio with a slender finger. She struggled to hide her anger as she said, "Uncle Qing, look at the guards you've found for me. They're not conscientious at all. How can they be compared to Hua Qi, Tang Ling, and Zhou Xiaoqian?"
The young lady's open criticism of the trio coupled with how she directly regarded them as her guards immediately made Yun Lianqing's face darken. His face sank slightly as he glared at Yun Xin. Just when he wanted to lecture her, Jian Chen spoke instead.
"You must be the young lady of the Yun family, Yun Xin, right? Miss Yun Xin, I am Jian Chen. In regards to what the young lady said just then, I must reiterate some things, just in case miss Yun Xin misunderstands," Jian Chen said firmly as he walked forwards with Kai Ya and master Chanlong steadily.
Even though over a dozen Godkings of the Yun family were gathered before them, the three of them showed no fear at all.
Jian Chen continued, "Miss Yun Xin, first, we're not your guards, so you have no right to meddle with what we do. Secondly, according to our agreement, we're only going to protect you once we enter the Neptunean Divine Palace, so before we go in, we don't bear the responsibility."
"And even after we enter the Neptunean Divine Palace, we're only protecting you for a year. We will assist you with whatever we have to obtain a legacy if we do come across one as well. After that year, there will be nothing more between us."
Aside from Yun Lianqing, Jian Chen's words left everyone in the Yun family somewhat surprised. They looked at Jian Chen in a daze as they felt much disbelief.
In the past, whenever an Overgod had spoken to them, they were all polite and submissive.
Yet, not only did this mere Overgod show no fear before all these Godkings of the Yun family, he even discussed his terms with them dramatically as an equal. This was the first time they had seen such a bold Overgod.
"Heh, your courage is indeed worthy of praise to talk terms with our Yun family. I just wonder if you have that right or not," a man who seemed to be in his early thirties sneered in the crowd. Vicious light flickered through his eyes. He had already taken out a step, appearing before Jian Chen like he had teleported. He smiled coldly as he slapped at Jian Chen.
"Yun Shan, stop!" Yun Lianqing's face changed suddenly as he called out coldly. He had never expected Yun Shan to attack Jian Chen. He wanted to stop him, but he was already too late.
None of the Godkings behind them interfered. Including Yun Weifeng, a few Godkings were already sneering scornfully.
If Jian Chen were a Godking, there would have been no need for them to act like this when he mentioned his terms.
However, he was only an Overgod, yet he was still bold enough to talk terms with the Yun family. Moreover, he showed no respect to these Godkings at all, immediately infuriating many of the people present. They were more than happy to see Yun Shan attack him now.
As a matter of fact, some people had already locked their gazes onto Chanlong.
Chanlong was the only Godking among them. Although he had only broken through recently, he was clearly enough to raise their attention.
If Chanlong wanted to interfere, they would step in at the same time to stop Chanlong from helping Jian Chen.
However, to their surprise, not only did Chanlong, the only person they believed to have some hope in stopping Yun Shan, not move at all, but he even smiled mysteriously instead, which truly perplexed them.
Jian Chen's face immediately turned cold from what Yun Shan was doing. At the same time, his indifferent gaze became extremely sharp. He did not dodge Yun Shan's attack at all. Instead, he clenched his fist and hurled it out with the powers of the Laws of the Sword and Chaotic Force. He struck Yun Shan's hand with lightning speed.
Bang!
A heavy sound rang out from the collision.
Yun Shan only felt a great force strike his right hand, and he experienced excruciating pain. Immediately, he grunted uncontrollably before his entire right arm became numb.
His right hand had been reduced to a bloody mess, and his entire arm drooped powerlessly. The cracking of bone seemed to be somewhat audible.
Although Yun Shan was a Godking, he was only an early Godking. Even if he used his full strength, he was not Jian Chen's opponent.
Coupled with the fact that he had underestimated Jian Chen and regarded him as a regular Overgod, he did not even use his full strength during the clash. As a result, he suffered greatly from it.
Behind, all the people who had witnessed this clash were shocked. The only exception was Yun Lianqing, who already knew Jian Chen's strength. Clearly, they struggled to accept this outcome.
Yun Xian was stunned as well. She had heard from her uncle Qing that Jian Chen was a supreme Overgod from the Overgods' Plaque, but she never took it seriously because even the supreme Overgods on the Overgods' Plaque were nowhere close to Godkings, aside from those ranked in the top ten.
However, she had never thought that Jian Chen would be so powerful that Yun Shan would suffer from the first clash.
"Y- you-" Yun Shan glared at Jian Chen in shock. His entire right arm had been shattered. The injury made him furious from the humiliation.
Chapter 2028: The Divine Palace Opens (Two)
A mere Overgod had actually managed to injure him, a mighty Godking, in an open confrontation. Moreover, the Overgod emerged unscathed. This would definitely become a permanent stain to his name.
"How bold," Yun Weifeng was immediately infuriated. A powerful presence radiated from his body, enveloping Jian Chen.
The presence had clearly reached late Godking.
Yun Weifeng was one of the only two late Godkings in the entire Yun family.
Jian Chen became stern. He could not deal with late Godkings right now. He could only fend them off when working together with Kai Ya and master Chanlong.
Before Chanlong had broken through, the three of them were able to reach a stalemate against regular late Godkings.
Now that Chanlong had become a Godking himself, Jian Chen was completely confident that they could kill late Godkings if they worked together.
Of course, that was given that the late Godkings were not prodigies with great battle prowess or supreme Godkings from the Godkings' Throne.
"Enough!"
At this moment, a cold snort rang out. The great elder of the Yun family appeared on the deck silently as he glared at Yun Weifeng.
Yun Weifeng's heart shivered from the glare while his surging presence immediately collapsed as well. He immediately bowed politely, "Greetings, great elder!"
"Greetings, great elder!"
Afterwards, all the people of the Yun family bowed at the old man politely. They respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
"Greetings, senior!" Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and Chanlong clasped their hands as well.
The great elder looked at the three of them and said with an energetic voice, "My dear friends, if the people of my Yun family have offended you in any way, I hope you don't take offence."
"How can senior say that? It's just a small misunderstanding," said Jian Chen.
The great elder smiled amiably and looked at the people of the Yun family, "Jian Chen and his friends will be going with you in this journey into the Neptunean Divine Palace. Once you're in there and you find that the three of them are in danger, you must assist them with all you have, understand?"
"Yes, great elder!" The people of the Yun family looked at Jian Chen with mixed feelings. Since the great elder had said that, they did not dare to show any disrespect towards Jian Chen's group on the spaceship anymore.
Jian Chen understood inside that the great elder's words were actually for them to hear. It was something he said to maintain their relationship and could not be taken seriously.
After all, no one outside would know what would happen in the Neptunean Divine Palace. Once they entered the Neptunean Divine Palace, they would be fortunate if the people of the Yun family did not turn against them at a critical moment, let alone relying on their help.
The great elder's voice rang out again, "Although the Neptunean Divine Palace opens once every ten thousand years, it'll vary by several months or even years. Remain on the spaceship and wait for the opening. Do not leave the spaceship during this time."
"Organisations of various sizes from the nearby planes have gathered in this region of space now. Our Yun family cannot afford to offend many of these organisations, so do not provoke them. Don't stick your noses in unwanted business either. I'll be going to the Heniu Plane to visit an old friend, so I won't be able to watch over you in the next period of time." With that, the great elder left the spaceship and disappeared into the endless cosmos in the blink of an eye.
"Are we really at the Neptunean Divine Palace?" Jian Chen was surprised when he watched the great elder leave. He looked around and discovered that they were still in outer space. There was not a palace in sight at all.
"You may not know, brother Jian Chen, but when the Daoist Sect of Neptunea still existed, the Neptunean Divine Palace was indeed located on the Heniu Plane. However, when the Grand Exalt from the other world destroyed the sect, the Neptunean Divine Palace was struck into outer space. Our current location is roughly where the Neptunean Divine Palace is." Seeing Jian Chen's doubt, Yun Lianqing immediately explained, "Due to formations, the Neptunean Divine Palace is always hidden in space, making it difficult for others to find its exact location. It'll only be exposed when it opens."
Jian Chen understood. He slowly arrived at the bow of the ship and stood there. The landscape around him suddenly opened up, and immediately, he felt like he could see all of space.
However, Jian Chen's eyes narrowed soon afterwards. He suddenly gazed into the distance and discovered many spaceships parked in the surroundings.
Every single spaceship was extremely far away from one another such that even when Jian Chen expanded his soul on par with Godkings, he was unable to approach the other spaceships.
Jian Chen could even see some figures in the distance, but due to being too far away, he was only able to barely make out a blurry figure.
Even further away, Jian Chen discovered a hand-sized piece of land floating in the endless cosmos. He could see a few bodies of water stretched across it, dividing the land into several regions.
Jian Chen knew that the Heniu Plane only seemed like the size of a hand because it was just too far away.
But in reality, to Jian Chen's shock, the Heniu Plane was several times larger than the Cloud Plane in area.
Jian Chen and the other Godkings of the Yun family began to wait for the divine palace's opening.
Due to his conflict with Yun Shan, the Godkings of the Yun family understood Jian Chen's strength. As a result, the Godkings did not try to provoke him during this waiting period. Clearly, they had begun to accept Jian Chen.
Even the young lady of the Yun family had shut her mouth obediently. However, she still felt much displeasure seeing how Hua Qi, Tang Ling, and Zhou Xiaoqian, which she had spent so much effort to convince her father to come along, had been replaced. Naturally, she did not have a good opinion of Jian Chen's group.
Although it could be said that Jian Chen had gained a stable footing here, the other people of the Yun family kept their distance from him and did not make any contact or conversation with him, aside from Yun Lianqing.
Jian Chen did not care about this at all. He cast down a simple formation with Kai Ya and Chanlong before sitting down on the deck to continue his comprehension of the Laws of the Sword.
"Hmph, you can be complacent now. I'd like to see whether you're still able to act so arrogantly once you enter the Neptunean Divine Palace," Yun Xin glared at the three of them in resentment as she snorted inside.
In the blink of an eye, Jian Chen had already waited for three months. He still did not break through in those three months of comprehension. Instead, he witnessed quite a few battles. They were extremely intense and even Infinite Primes took part.
More and more people gathered in the region of space, where the number of spaceship gathered there had reached above a thousand. There were even more people on those spaceships.
At this moment, Jian Chen suddenly opened his eyes, and a gleam of light shone through them. He stared at the space ahead.
At the same time, Kai Ya and master Chanlong seemed to sense something as well, opening their eyes along with Jian Chen. Kai Ya called out, "The Neptunean Divine Palace is opening!"
With that, an extremely terrifying pulse of energy suddenly erupted with tremendous pressure in space. Like a tsunami, it flooded the surroundings in an overwhelming manner. The entire region shook from the terrifying energy, creating ripples in space.
Suddenly, the space ripped open and formed an extremely huge crack. A huge, dark blue hall over a hundred thousand meters long and several tens of thousand meters high gradually appeared from the crack.
Chapter 2029: Zi Yun and Xiao Man
The huge divine hall hovered in outer space and radiated with a pressure so great that not only did it fill the experts gathered around with angst, but the entire region of space trembled and shook as well.
It was as if the divine hall reigned over the region, where its appearance had directly suppressed the world. It seemed to give off a paramount presence.
"The Neptunean Divine Palace has appeared..."
"It has been ten thousand years. I am finally able to see the Neptunean Divine Palace again..."
"I wonder if the three remaining Grand Prime legacies will go to anyone now that the Neptunean Divine Palace has opened again..."
...
With the appearance of the Neptunean Divine Palace, discussions immediately began to ring out in space. The eyes of many people who were prepared to enter burned with desire. They rubbed their hands eagerly as they radiated with battle intent.
The Godkings of the Yun family looked at the Neptunean Divine Palace as well. All of them were eager. They anticipated the various legacies in there eagerly.
Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and master Chanlong stared at the huge Neptunean Divine Palace instead. They were different from the Godkings of the Yun family, as their faces were completely stern.
In the eyes of others, the Neptunean Divine Palace may have been a land of fortune, but to the three of them, it was also a cruel battlefield.
With a flash, the great elder of the Yun family arrived before everyone. He had returned from his visit to his old friend already. He stared at the Neptunean Divine Palace deeply and said with his back to everyone, "The Neptunean Divine Palace has opened. Be prepared for entry. I've already told you what I need to say, so I won't repeat it."
The great elder turned around and looked at the people present sternly. He said, "You are the hope of the Yun family as well as the future of the clan. Remember, you must walk out of the Neptunean Divine Palace alive. I will be waiting for your return."
"Don't worry, great elder. We will definitely do everything we can such that you won't be disappointed," said the Godkings. They spoke loudly and with much energy. They were all at their peak conditions.
As for Yun Shan's broken arm, it had already recovered. An injury like that was not heavy at all to a Godking.
The great elder nodded. He looked at Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and Chanlong and said, "I'll be troubling the three of you to look after the descendant of my Yun family for a year."
"Don't worry, senior. We will protect miss Yun Xin with our utmost ability in that one year period," Jian Chen, Kai Ya, and Chanlong clasped their fists. This was a deal they had made with the Yun family as well as the price they had to pay for a spot into the Neptunean Divine Palace.
Yun Xin looked at the trio and pouted unhappily. She thought, "Protect me? Hmph, who needs that? Wait until we're in the Neptunean Divine Palace, and I'll show you how I'll deal with you all. Although I can't beat you, finding trouble for you is nothing difficult."
The great elder had already stowed away the spaceship. He flew through space quickly with everyone, rapidly approaching the Neptunean Divine Palace.
Countless figures approached the divine hall as well from all directions. As more and more experts gathered, countless presences became gathered together, forming a terrifying pressure that filled the space there. It caused the space there to thicken as it became quite suffocating.
The closer to the Neptunean Divine Palace, the more powerful the pressure was. Even Godkings found it rather difficult to endure.
After all, the Neptunean Divine Palace possessed great fortunes. In particular, the legacy of their strongest ancestor, the one known as one of the most powerful people below Grand Exalt, was an irresistible temptation to even powerful organisations that possessed Chaotic Primes.
As a result, not only were there many Infinite Primes gathered in the space there now, but there were even Chaotic Primes.
Although there were extremely few Chaotic Primes with an entire plane in perspective, each opening of the Neptunean Divine Palace would be enough to gather the experts and organisations of many planes and planets nearby. As a result, many Primordial realm experts would appear outside the Neptunean Divine Palace.
Immediately, many Overgods and Godkings who were going into the Neptunean Divine Palace came to a halt. The presence near the Nepuntean Divine Palace was so powerful that it forced them to a halt, and they no longer dared to advance any further.
Jian Chen's group and the people from the Yun family stood behind the great elder. The great elder gave off the powerful presence of an Infinite Prime to protect those behind him so that he could carve out a path towards the Neptunean Divine Palace.
In the surroundings, many other Infinite Primes also used their cultivation to protect their people. Like a sharp blade, they pierced through the seal created from the presences of many Primordial realm experts, and they quickly made their way towards the Neptunean Divine Palace.
There were even a few Chaotic Primes who had already arrived before the entry of the Neptunean Divine Palace with their juniors. They would only relax when they saw their juniors disappear from the outside.
The journey to approaching the Neptunean Divine Palace had already become a secret competition and battle between the Primordial realm experts. The stronger they were, the faster they could move, and the earlier they would approach the Neptunean Divine Palace.
The weaker people naturally ended up towards the back.
Through this, Jian Chen discovered that the great elder of the Yun family was around the same as an average Infinite Prime.
In the end, when they all reached the steps of the Neptunean Divine Palace under the accompaniment of the great elder of the Yun family, the other Primordial realm experts stopped there as well, without advancing any further.
As he stood there, Jian Chen could clearly sense that up ahead, a frightening energy pulsed. After looking at the great elder again, he discovered that as expected, after the great elder had arrived on the steps, he became stern and cautious.
This seriousness and cautiousness were not caused by all the Primordial realm experts gathered around. Rather, it was due to the Neptunean Divine Palace itself.
"I can only accompany you to here. The rest of the journey will be up to you. The Neptunean Medallion will teleport you in," the great elder said sternly before taking out the Neptunean Medallion.
As soon as the Neptunean Medallion appeared, a dazzling blue light surrounded the twenty people, and with a flash, they all disappeared.
Only after these Infinite Primes had departed could the Godkings and Overgods without the protection of a Primordial realm expert continue onward and enter the Neptunean Divine Palace through their Neptunean Medallions.
At this moment, another two figures approached the space where the Neptunean Divine Palace resided. They did not move quickly, where even their top travel speeds seemed as slow as snails.
They were two females. One of them seemed to be in her twenties, and she was beautiful. Her skin was white and soft, while her body was slender. Although she was not exactly alluring, she was still extremely pretty. She was only a late Overgod.
The other person was a girl. She seemed to be fifteen or sixteen years of age and seemed innocent and young. She constantly stared at the Neptunean Divine Palace with her bright eyes.
"It looks like the Neptunean Divine Palace has only just opened, and some people haven't entered yet. Fortunately, we weren't late, and we still made it," the older woman sighed with relief.
"Sister, is this the Neptunean Divine Palace? Why have we come from so far away to this place?" The girl studied the Neptunean Divine Palace as she asked in confusion.
The older woman looked at the girl gently and said, "Xiao Man, your mother told me before she passed away that I had to bring you here no matter what."
If Jian Chen were present, he would definitely recognise the two of them with a single glance. They were Zi Yun and Xiao Man, who he encountered back on the spatial battleship that he had boarded in the southern region of the Cloud Plane.
Chapter 2030: Within the Divine Palace
"Mother!" Xiao Man could not help but think of the old, extremely blurry figure that only existed in her memories when she heard Zi Yun's words. Her eyes reddened slightly as she showed deep sorrow.
Her mother had departed far too early. Just when she had turned three years old, the old figure who had carried her every day and gave her deep, motherly love had left her.
Even though Xiao Man was only three years old when she saw her mother for the last time, she still had not forgotten everything that had happened when she was young. It had just become slightly blurry.
As for her father, Xiao Man never met him before, as he had already passed away before she was even born.
There were no images or memories. In the past few years, Xiao Man had only learnt a little about her father from her sister Zi Yun.
This was because her sister Zi Yun had seen her father. Everything she knew about him came from her.
Xiao Man only knew that her father was an old person with a head full of withered hair from Zi Yun. Her mother was a hunch-backed old woman, making both her parents extremely old.
"Sister Zi Yun, do you know how my parents died? Since my father taught you everything, doesn't that mean he's not an ordinary person? And my mother is not ordinary either, right? Since they're not ordinary, they can't have passed away from age," asked Xiao Man with red eyes and sorrow. As she grew older, she understood more and more things. Now that she thought of the past, she realised that there were many illogical factors to her parents' deaths.
Zi Yun shook her head. She was unable to answer these questions, as she did not know how to answer them at all.
She did not understand what had happened to Xiao Man's parents either.
The only thing she was certain about was that Xiao Man's parents were no ordinary people. Even though she could clearly sense that Xiao Man's parents had no cultivation and that their bodies were sometimes not even as great as ordinary people, everything she learnt as well as the various powerful secret techniques and treasures for fleeing came from her master, who was also Xiao Man's father.
Aside from her master, even her master's wife, Xiao Man's mother, had passed many things onto her. Not only did these things include comprehensions and knowledge on cultivation, but it also included the various brutal aspects on the Saints' World and so on. As such, she already possessed a clear understanding of the outside world before she set foot there.
It was impossible for an ordinary person to know these things.
Most importantly, Zi Yun had spent over ten thousand years with Xiao Man's parents.
If they were truly ordinary people, it would have been impossible for them to live for this long.
However, when Xiao Man's parents passed away, they had no wounds at all. No matter the perspective, it seemed like a natural death, like an ordinary person reaching the end of their lives. There were no other reasons.
"Xiao Man, let's enter the Neptunean Divine Palace," Zi Yun said softly and approached the Neptunean Divine Palace with Xiao Man. She vanished using the Neptunean Medallion she had obtained from Xiao Man's parents.
...
When Jian Chen appeared again, he discovered that he was in a long hallway. Apart from Kai Ya, Chanlong, and the seventeen people from the Yun family, there was no one else around him.
"Brother Jian Chen, the delivery location of each Neptunean Medallion is unstable, where it can be anywhere on the first floor," Yun Lianqing said to Jian Chen. He studied the surroundings and said, "It's the first time we've come into the Neptunean Divine Palace as well, but we have heard of some things about the situation in here."
"The Neptunean Divine Palace has a total of twelve floors. The higher the floors, the more powerful the legacies. It's said that the Grand Prime ancestors have left their legacies on the highest floor..."
"Hmph. Yun Lianqing, all they can do is wander around the more remote places, so what're you telling them this for? Knowing more is not necessarily beneficial for them," Yun Weifeng snorted coldly before Yun Lianqing had even finished speaking.
"Yun Weifeng is right. Who knows whether they'll run off to the twelfth floor ignorantly after they know this and accidentally offend some powerful person there? Wouldn't that be causing problems for our Yun family for nothing?" Yun Shan snorted coldly as well. Due to his own carelessness, Jian Chen had broken his arm from a single clash. He still clung onto this matter, so he was naturally hostile towards Jian Chen.
Yun Lianqing thought about their words and found it to be reasonable. Telling this to Jian Chen really did not benefit them. They would basically be sending Jian Chen's group to their deaths if they were unable to resist the temptation of a Grand Prime's legacy and ran off to the twelfth floor rashly with their current strength. He was left temporarily speechless. He could only bid farewell to Jian Chen before leaving with the Godkings of the Yun family.
In the blink of an eye, the sixteen Godkings of the Yun family vanished from the hallway, only leaving behind Jian Chen, Kai Ya, Chanlong, and the emotionless young lady of the Yun family, Yun Xin.
Afterwards, the three of them left with Yun Xin as well to wander the first floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace.
The interior of the structure was extremely large. From the outside, it only seemed to be a few hundred thousand meters in length, but in reality, its interior was countless times larger.
Along the way, the four of them discovered many remains of experts who had died in here as well as traces of many destroyed formations.
Ever since the Daoist Sect of Neptunea had been destroyed, the Neptunean Divine Palace had already been opened several hundred times. For the sake of the legacies in there, it was naturally impossible to avoid bloody conflict, which left behind many corpses.
However, at the same time, all the legacies on the first floor had been cleaned out. There was nothing of value left.
This was because the disciples on the first floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace naturally were not particularly powerful. Obviously, it was extremely easy for the outsiders to obtain their legacies, unlike the four ancestors who managed to stop countless people.
In the blink of an eye, Jian Chen's group had already remained on the first floor for several days. They basically wandered through the entire floor, but they failed to find anyone else.
Jian Chen did not find this to be strange at all. Basically everyone who entered the Neptunean Divine Palace knew that there was nothing on the first floor, so they directly made their way to the second floor as soon as they entered.
It was probably only because Yun Xin was not in a good mood, which was why they remained on the first floor that was littered with remains for so long.
"Miss Yun Xin, if you keep wasting your valuable time here, you won't benefit at all once our year-long agreement comes to an end," Jian Chen could not help but say. The Neptunean Divine Palace was only open for ten years. It seemed very long, but it was actually an extremely short period of time. It was like a huge loss to Jian Chen for Yun Xin to waste time like this.
"Why do you care? I just happen to like it here. What can you do?" Yun Xin glanced at Jian Chen as her lips curled into a sneer. She said, "As for any benefits, do you really think you can obtain some expert's legacy in the Neptunean Divine Palace with your strength?"
"Hehehehehe, I really do have to say that you're taking this far too simply. It's not that I'm looking down on you. Although you have an early Godking with you, that's nothing in the Neptunean Divine Palace. None of the remaining legacies that everyone has failed to take in the past are easy to obtain. If you want to contend for them, then hmph, it's just wishful thinking."