Chapter 2120: Proceeding to the Twelfth Floor
"Just as I had expected. There really are a lot of Godkings gathered on the eighth floor. Although they've all concealed their presences, I can still vaguely feel their strength. There are probably quite a few supreme Godkings." In the distance, Jian Chen sat at the foot of a mountain, hiding behind a huge boulder. He looked far away sternly.
In order to remain hidden, he did not use the senses of his soul. He just used his vision.
A large group of Godkings sat high up in the air in the distance. They did not notice Jian Chen's existence. Even if Jian Chen was standing very close to them, they would have never imagined that someone would stand at the foot of a volcano here.
This was because every inch of the volcanoes here was terrifyingly hot, where even supreme Godking would not be able to endure it.
Jian Chen did not dare to stay for long. He left very soon. Using the many volcanoes as a cover, he silently left the eighth floor. No one noticed any traces of him, including Ming Dong.
On the ninth floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace, a bare-chested, burly man in only shorts flew through the air leisurely. He seemed to hurry off mindlessly as he observed the surroundings with interest, viewing the scenery along the way.
"Sir, I've been in seclusion for many years, and I've only just emerged. May I ask if anything interesting has happened in the past few years?" At this moment, the burly man in shorts with muscles that seemed to be filled with explosive power stopped an early Godking. He clasped his hands after tossing out a small pile of supreme grade divine crystals.
The early Godking who was stopped was originally rather displeased, but when he saw the small pile of divine crystals, his face immediately warmed up. He clasped his fist politely and told everything he knew to the big man.
He spoke in great detail. He missed nothing at all, whether it was Jian Chen's death due to protecting Xiao Man from the eight supreme Godkings, or Ming Dong's slaughters that made him seem even more powerful than supreme Godkings.
"I never thought that so many major matters would have happened in the Neptunean Divine Palace in just a few short yours. Thank you for telling me." The bare-chested man directly left after learning about everything.
However, he did not travel too far away. Instead, he gradually came to a halt after leaving the early Godking. He turned his head towards the eighth floor as his face was filled with evident joy and excitement.
"I never thought Ming Dong would come to the Neptunean Divine Palace as well. Moreover, he's on par with supreme Godkings..."
"Hahahaha, no wonder the heads of the supreme Godkings I found at the bottom of the lava below just happened to match the people who worked against me. And I had originally thought they encountered some extremely powerful enemy that beheaded them. Turns out the two of them were actually killed by Ming Dong..."
"Four of the eight supreme Godkings who worked against me have been killed by Ming Dong. He even chased Cang Ying to the eighth floor. Hahaha, I never thought Ming Dong would have already become so powerful. He has even surpassed me. It looks like I need to work hard as well..."
The man laughed from the bottom of his heart. He clearly seemed to be at ease.
The burly man was Jian Chen in disguise. Not only did he alter his appearance, but he had even changed his stature through his control of the Chaotic Body.
"Ming Dong is in the Neptunean Divine Palace right now, but it's not convenient for me to meet him at the moment, just in case I cause trouble for him. Even if he's powerful now, he won't be able to deal with these dangers." Jian Chen calmed down very soon. After some thought, he shot off with lightning speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Before long, Jian Chen stopped in an extremely remote region. With a single thought, the Anatta Tower immediately flew out. Under his control, the tower landed on the ground gently, and a nervous and eager Xiao Man emerged.
However, to Jian Chen's surprise, the protective power did not reappear when Xiao Man appeared in the Neptunean Divine Palace again.
In other words, Xiao Man was no longer protected by the Neptunean Divine Palace anymore.
"Is it because I took Xiao Man into the Anatta Tower, and the Anatta Tower severed Xiao Man's connection with the Neptunean Divine Palace? Xiao Man and the Neptunean Divine Palace seem to be connected through a thread, and now that the thread has been severed, this connection has been severed as well. As a result, Xiao Man is no longer protected by the power?" A gleam of light flashed through Jian Chen's eyes as he pondered.
"Brother Jian Chen, why hasn't that protective power appeared?" Xiao Man was also perplexed.
"Xiao Man, try dripping some blood onto your pendant," said Jian Chen. He had already learnt many years ago that Xiao Man had awakened the artifact spirit through the presence of her bloodline, so he wanted her to try the same thing again. If the artifact spirit could awaken again, it would be much easier for Xiao Man to take back what belonged to her ancestor.
Xiao Man immediately did just that. She cut her finger and allowed her blood to drip onto the pendant before her chest.
Jian Chen paid close attention to the surroundings during this time. As he waited for the artifact spirit to awaken, his gaze became extremely sharp. Without a doubt, he would kill anyone who intruded on this place with lightning speed.
This was because he could not afford to leak any information about Xiao Man right now. Unfortunately, he could not hide Xiao Man, as her cultivation level was just too low. No matter how she hid, Godkings would still be able to see through all of that with a single glance.
"Brother Jian Chen, there seems to be nothing," Xiao Man said in confusion after a few minutes.
Jian Chen frowned slightly. He said in thought, "The artifact spirit should still be in slumber. The reason why it hasn't awakened this time is probably because it has become greatly exhausted from waking up last time. It's no longer as sensitive to your bloodline."
Xiao Man felt worried after learning that the artifact spirit could not be awakened. She was out of ideas, "Brother Jian Chen, what should we do?"
"Don't panic. No one knows where the artifact spirit is right now, but according to my understanding of artifact spirits, even if they're in slumber, they'll choose to rest in extremely important places. The twelfth floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace was where the master of this place passed away, and his legacy is there as well. If I've guessed correctly, the artifact spirit should be slumbering on the twelfth floor in a place where no one knows."
"Xiao Man, go in the tower. Give me the pendant and leave some blood for me. I'll go to the twelfth floor. That is the closest to where the artifact spirit is slumbering, and I'll see whether I can awaken the artifact spirit there with the presence of your bloodline. Once the artifact spirit awakens, those supreme Godkings won't be the ones in charge of the Neptunean Divine Palace anymore..."
Chapter 2121: A Grand Prime's Legacy
Now, Xiao Man completely listened to Jian Chen. She basically did whatever he told her to do, without any objections at all.
Afterwards, Jian Chen got Xiao Man to return to the Anatta Tower. He took Xiao Man's pendant and a jade bottle with Xiao Man's blood inside with him to the twelfth floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace.
The entrance to the twelfth floor was no longer some secret. Jian Chen had learnt about it long ago.
As a result, since he hurried along wholeheartedly and was not distracted by anything, he arrived on the twelfth floor very quickly.
As soon as he set foot on the twelfth floor, Jian Chen saw the four statues that stood in the distance, seemingly connecting the ground with the sky. He immediately felt shocked.
Apart from one of them that had dulled, all of them were surrounded by a hazy layer of light. Vaguely, the tremendous pressure of Grand Primes seemed to radiate out, enough to crush stars and surpass the heavens. It seemed to bear the presence of a supreme overlord of the world.
Jian Chen knew that these four statues were left here by the four ancestors of the Daoist Sect of Neptunean.
However, Jian Chen did not approach the statues. Instead, he stood very far away. He did not come here for the Grand Primes' legacies but for awakening the artifact spirit.
There were many Godkings gathered in the surroundings of the three statues. Jian Chen did not want to raise their attention. As such, he would not expose himself, so not only did he completely conceal his presence when he arrived, he did not even use the senses of his soul.
Suddenly, Jian Chen's eyes narrowed. He discovered a few familiar figures in the crowd far away. Immediately, he backed up far away without showing any intentions of doing so and also looked away. He did not dare to pay too much attention that way.
"It's the fifth prince of the Sky Empire and mister Shu. I never thought they'd be here as well. Although I've changed my appearance and stature, it's still nowhere near perfect. I can't be certain that some of them won't recognise me through some small hints and traces. It looks like I need to remain far away from there," Jian Chen thought quickly. Like a ghost, he borrowed the forest and geography around to cover himself as he silently moved off into the distance.
A while later, Jian Chen arrived several hundred thousand kilometres away. In an extremely remote location, he took out Xiao Man's pendant and the bottle of her blood. He dripped some of the blood onto the pendant without any hesitation.
As soon as the blood came in contact with the jade pendant, it was absorbed silently. All of it vanished into the jade pendant, and afterwards, a mysterious presence that even Jian Chen could not sense drifted out. It permeated the surroundings.
After doing all that, Jian Chen waited patiently. However, he waited for a very long time, yet the artifact spirit still did not awaken.
At the same time, a great net condensed entirely out of energy expanded over an unknown space within the Neptunean Divine Palace, enveloping the entire place. It seemed like a prison, trapping whatever was in there.
The energy net seemed to be alive. It changed at all times, gradually shrinking towards the centre. It became smaller and smaller.
"I'm the master here. I'm the existence who determines everything here. I have infinite power in this divine palace. You can't trap me, nor can you assimilate with me and replace me..." At this moment, a furious mental pulse roared out, booming through the interior of the net.
There was an extremely ancient consciousness within the energy net. It resisted the shrinking net as hard as it could. Right now, it was like a prisoner, firmly trapped there by the net.
Moreover, whenever the net shrunk slightly, a part of the ancient consciousness' energy would be assimilated into the net, becoming a part of it.
"As the artifact spirit of the Neptunean Divine Palace, I am the absolute existence here. I set the rules here. You can't replace me. You won't succeed..." The ancient consciousness resisted arduously as it bellowed out.
"The presence of master's bloodline. I sense the presence of master's bloodline again. It's master's only descendant, so the lineage can't end here. Piss off. I won't let you succeed. I will never let you succeed..." The ancient consciousness became even wilder. Under its desperate struggle, the net swelled, but it still failed to rip through it.
On the twelfth floor, Jian Chen travelled another million kilometres to a new place and dripped Xiao Man's blood onto the jade pendant once again.
"Strange. Why is there no response? According to what I've learnt from Zi Yun, the artifact spirit of the Neptunean Divine Palace was clearly awakened by the presence of Xiao Man's bloodline. That can't be wrong, so why is it ineffective now? Is it really like what I guessed, that the artifact spirit has yet to fully recover, and it has fallen back into a deep slumber after waking up last time?" Jian Chen was perplexed.
Suddenly, Jian Chen's eyes narrowed. He abruptly turned his head towards the distance. His gaze seemed to pierce through the distance and land on the four statues as he became surprised and doubtful.
He could clearly sense a tremendous presence of laws sweep out in a tremendous manner over a million kilometres away. It seemed to crush the heavens and throw the laws of the world into disorder, making them extremely unstable.
"A Grand Prime's legacy?" A thought flashed through Jian Chen's head. After some slight consideration, he gave up on awakening the artifact spirit for the time being. He flew towards the four statues.
With Jian Chen's speed, he crossed the distance very quickly. He did not get too close and hid several dozen kilometres away. He used his superior vision to observe what was going on up ahead.
One of the four statues shone with blinding light as a resplendent streak of light shot out from its forehead, enveloping someone below.
The disturbance it had caused was startling. It made everyone in the surroundings stand up and stare at the Godking engulfed by the light blankly. Admiration, envy, surprise, and so on filled all of their gazes.
When Jian Chen saw this clearly from several dozen kilometres away, his face became rather ugly because the person enveloped by the light was actually the fifth prince of the Sky Empire!
"The fifth prince! It's actually the fifth prince..."
"Hahaha, fantastic. The fifth prince is blessed to receive the recognition of a Grand Prime's legacy..."
The few remaining guards and mister Shu by the fifth prince's side were all overjoyed. They struggled to hold back their excitement.
In the surroundings, Yun Xin and the five remaining Godkings of the Yun family all had mixed expressions. The fifth prince was indeed one of the people who possessed the best talent in the Sky Empire, but in the Neptunean Divine Palace where supreme prodigies gathered, it was not particularly astonishing. Now that he had actually gained the recognition of a Grand Prime's legacy, it was indeed very surprising to them.
Chapter 2122: The Fight for the Legacy
"Hmph, who does this person think he is to be able to obtain a Grand Prime's legacy? If you want to inherit it successfully, you better pass through me first..." A nearby young man with a striking appearance snorted coldly. Like a bolt of lightning, he shot over and directly attacked the streak of light around the fifth prince.
Mister Shu's face changed. He immediately flew over, wielding the Cataclysmic Onyxwind Fan to stop the young man.
However, the young man was a supreme Godking from the Godkings' Throne. He was extremely powerful. Although mister Shu had a god artifact, he was still unable to unleash the full power of the weapon, so he completely lost the upper hand.
"Hahahaha, only a single Grand Prime's legacy has been taken away from the Neptunean Divine Palace, and it caused a storm of blood back then. Many supreme Godkings died. It's not that easy for you to just take it..." An old man laughed aloud in the crowd. He looked at the fifth prince with shining eyes as he gradually approached him.
At the same time, over half of the Godkings on the twelfth floor began to surge slowly. They gathered in from everywhere, forming an encirclement that surrounded the fifth prince. Greed and excitement filled all of their eyes.
Although the fifth prince was surrounded by the streak of light from between the eyes of the statue, the light did not possess a particularly powerful defence. It was unable to stop so many Godkings, which included many supreme Godkings from the Godkings' Throne.
As for the fifth prince, he sat on the ground with his eyes closed as if he had no idea he was in danger.
Mister Shu became panic-stricken when he looked at the many Godkings that slowly surged over. Immediately, he secretly said to Audriana in the distance, "Excuse me. our Sky Empire happens to possess an extremely valuable Life Starcore. I hope you can assist us and make some time for our fifth prince in exchange for it. At the same time, I can guarantee you that if the fifth prince inherits the legacy successfully, you will have the great gratitude of our empire."
Now, mister Shu could only place all his hopes on Audriana. He did not tell her that the Life Starcore was with the fifth prince. Instead, he said it was in the empire, as he was afraid that Audriana would try to steal it.
"A Life Starcore?" Audriana's eyes immediately lit up when she heard the mention of the Life Starcore as she watched on quietly. She knew just how valuable a Life Starcore was. It was something that could only be found through luck, and it was as precious as a treasure to someone who cultivated the Laws of Life like her.
"Sister Mu'er, you should enter my divine hall for now. They're offering a Life Starcore for my assistance. I need to take part for the Life Starcore. If you remain outside, you will distract me," Audriana said to Shangguan Mu'er. With a wave of her hand, a jade-green divine hall appeared out of nowhere.
"Then be careful, sister." Shangguan Mu'er could only stow her Zither of the Demonic Cry away and enter Audriana's divine hall.
As Jian Chen did not use the senses of his soul and relied on his eyes alone from several dozen kilometres away, he failed to discover Shangguan Mu'er.
Currently, he stared at the fifth prince enshrouded by light and thought, "A Grand Prime's legacy is something of desire. It won't be easy for the fifth prince to just receive it like that. However, regardless of whether he's fated to get it or not, I can't let him inherit it successfully."
At this moment, someone moved against the fifth prince. They wanted to destroy the fifth prince's connection with the legacy.
Immediately, the light around the fifth prince shook. Although it possessed a certain amount of defence, it was not tough and was unable to stop so many Godkings present.
The process of inheritance was a tough test as well. It was not like when Zi Yun received the Chaotic Prime's legacy, where there was a protected area. As a result, strength, intelligence, and luck were all critical to obtaining a Grand Prime's legacy here.
Audriana intervened at this moment as well. She became shrouded in green light as she gave off a heavy presence of life, arriving before the fifth prince with a tremendous presence. She said calmly, "I have no intentions of becoming enemies with you all. It's just that I need to take part and stop you for a while so that there is no interference to this person's process of inheriting the legacy."
As soon as they saw Audriana take part, many Godkings on the twelfth floor became filled with angst. This even included some supreme Godkings.
However, this angst lasted for just a split second. Immediately, some people ignored Audriana's obstruction and directly attacked the fifth prince.
Their attacks were like a fuse, setting off more attacks from people in the surroundings. The attacks avoided Audriana and directly targeted the fifth prince.
Audriana's expression did not change. A ring of green light expanded out around her. Vines were conjured on the Godkings struck by the light. As they grew furiously, they became immobilised.
In just that instance, several dozen Godkings were trapped by Audriana. There were even supreme Godkings from the Godkings' Throne.
To another side, several powerful strands of sword Qi as well as over a dozen attacks with laws suddenly descended, heading right towards the fifth prince.
Audriana extended her finger, and a green barrier condensed silently. It blocked all the attacks.
With Audriana's great strength, there were not many people here who could threaten her, but she was alone in the end. It was impossible for her to deal with all the attacks that rained in from all directions. As more and more supreme Godkings took part, the pressure on her gradually mounted.
"That's... the person who used to be the greatest Godking of the God clan, Audriana?" Several dozen kilometres away, Jian Chen recognised Audriana from the familiar presence, and he was immediately surprised.
"I want all the divine crystals and heavenly resources from what you obtain from the legacy. If you agree, I will assist you," at this moment, an icy-cold voice rang out. Shui Yunlan strode over in her silver-white armor as she made her way over from another statue with a steady pace.
"We agree. We agree. Please take action immediately..." Mister Shu beamed and agreed for the fifth prince in a hurry. This was because he had no other choice but to agree at a time like this, or let alone the legacy, even the fifth prince's life would be lost.
Moreover, their Sky Empire was an eternal empire. Their heritage rang deep, so they did not lack divine crystals or heavenly resources at all. As long as the fifth prince obtained the Grand Prime's cultivation method, comprehensions, and so on, they would be willing to give up even more and pay an even greater price.
Shui Yunlan sighed gently. Her feelings were extremely mixed. She had never thought that with her revered status as one of the four great protectors of the Ice Goddess Hall, she would face a day where she would work for others for the sake of some cultivation resources.
Chapter 2123: A Raging Storm
"Her majesty's cultivation still hasn't recovered to its peak, so she requires an extremely tremendous amount of cultivation resources. For the sake of her majesty's recovery, I can't miss any opportunity to collect cultivation resources. There are just far too few cultivation resources on those Godkings, enough for me to ignore. However, the belongings of a Grand Prime from the Daoist Sect of Neptunea in the past must be bountiful. I must obtain the resources," thought Shui Yunlan. She strode through the air and made her way over from another statue slowly. Although she did not give off a shocking presence, many Godkings felt a mountainous pressure with her approach.
At that moment, over half of the Godkings discovered in shock that their hearts beat to the same rhythm as Shui Yunlan's steps.
It was as if every single step she took landed on their hearts, pressuring them. It was a horrible feeling.
It was also as if their hearts were being led astray by Shui Yunlan, beating rhythmically to her steps.
"She- she's actually taking action..."
"Who is this? Why do I feel like she's even more terrifying than facing a Primordial realm expert..."
Seeing how Shui Yunlan was about to take action, even more people became filled with angst. At that moment, many more ordinary Godkings stopped and slowly retreated. However, many Godkings still believed they were powerful, and they continued to charge towards the fifth prince in an attempt to replace him as the inheritor of the legacy.
Although Shui Yunlan still had not taken action yet, the pressure she induced in the hearts of the Godkings present was even greater than Audriana.
"Protector Shui. She's actually here as well..." Jian Chen became extremely stunned as he watched on from the distance. He had experienced far too many joyful surprises today. Not only had he found Ming Dong here, but even Audriana and Shui Yunlan, two people who he was familiar with in the lower world, were here as well.
But soon afterwards, Jian Chen ravished with joy. He thought, "Since Shui Yunlan is here, finding my sister will be much easier. It won't be long soon before we meet again. I just wonder if she has been well after being taken to the Saints' World by Shui Yunlan." Jian Chen was worried inside. He was still deeply attached to his sister who showed true concern for him when he was young.
At this moment, Shui Yunlan took action. She slowly extended her hand, and immediately, a terrifying coldness condensed rapidly into a flower of ice. It was translucent and extremely pretty.
Shui Yunlan closed her hand gently, and the flower of ice shattered. It turned into a terrifying coldness that expanded into the surroundings.
Immediately, the temperature of the surroundings plummeted. In that short moment, it turned into a world of ice. A thick layer of snow covered the ground while all the vegetation froze up. The entire world seemed to turn into an icebound land, where everything ceased to exist.
In this icy world, all early Godkings felt their hands and legs become stiff. Terrifying coldness pierced through their origin energy defences, invading their bodies to freeze their vitality and blood.
In under ten seconds, all the early Godkings, apart from the people with the fifth prince, were reduced to ice statues. They were completely immobilised.
After half a minute, over half of the mid Godkings followed them. They were frozen into life-like statues as well.
With just a simple gesture, Shui Yunlan had incapacitated hundreds of Godkings effortlessly. Her strength shocked all of the Godkings present.
"Stop her!" A supreme Godking called out furiously. His presence surged as he erupted with powerful energy like a tsunami. He and a few other supreme Godkings charged at Shui Yunlan at the same time.
Shui Yunlan's eyes were extremely cold, without any emotions at all. She waved her hand, and hazy-white Profound Ice Qi formed a beam that engulfed the supreme Godkings.
The supreme Godkings wore armor, and they were protected by a layer of light condensed from laws. It formed two lines of defence. However, under Shui Yunlan's Profound Ice Qi, these measures were like nothing, unable to stop her at all. In a single instance, the supreme Godkings became wrapped up in ice, reduced to statues.
With that, all the supreme Godkings on the twelfth floor were shocked. Shui Yunlan's Profound Ice Qi was just too terrifying. If she purposefully targeted any of them, even supreme Godkings would become as insignificant as ants, instantly frozen into a statue.
Nearby, Audriana became stern as well. She discovered that Shui Yunlan's strength had increased by far, far too much compared to the past.
Although over three million years of consolidation had greatly increased Audriana's strength as well, she understood that the difference between her and Shui Yunlan was still tremendous.
"Shui Yunlan probably has a foot planted in the Primordial realm right now. She can truly take the other step at any time. Maybe it's because of the Neptunean Divine Palace that she still hasn't broken through. However, even when she did not have a foot planted in the Primordial realm before, her battle prowess was already extremely impressive. She was even no weaker than regular Infinite Primes. I wonder just how powerful she has become now that she has a foot planted in the Primordial realm. Clearly, the Godkings here aren't enough for her to reveal her true strength," Audriana thought with a heavy heart.
As soon as Shui Yunlan took action, the situation flipped in an overwhelming manner. Over a thousand Godkings—all the early Godkings and most of the mid Godkings—had been reduced to ice statues.
With just that, she eliminated over two-thirds of the people present.
Although every single person remaining possessed great strength, they were unable to approach the fifth prince with Shui Yunlan and Audriana standing in their way.
Mister Shu and the guards that the fifth prince had brought with him were all shocked and overjoyed when they witnessed Shui Yunlan's strength. With Shui Yunlan and Audriana, two outstanding experts, there would basically be no problems for the fifth prince to inherit the Grand Prime's legacy.
The people of the Yun family were all shocked. Shui Yunlan was just too terrifying. They had never thought that a Godking could possess such an impossible battle prowess.
Several dozen kilometres away, Jian Chen's expression was very ugly. He had no idea why Audriana and Shui Yunlan were helping the fifth prince, but if the situation continued to develop like this, the fifth prince would probably obtain the Grand Prime's legacy successfully. Killing him would become even more difficult then.
Jian Chen pondered slightly before leaving as quickly as possible. He went to the eleventh, tenth, and ninth floors, spreading the news of what happened on the twelfth floor as quickly as he could.
"What? A Grand Prime's legacy on the twelfth floor has chosen an inheritor again..."
Jian Chen's news spread through the entire Neptunean Divine Palace like wildfire. Even all the supreme Godkings gathered in the volcanic world of the eighth floor received the news.
"Someone has obtained a legacy from a second Grand Prime? Is this news reliable?"
"That's a Grand Prime's legacy. It's worth no less than the Neptunean Divine Palace itself. It doesn't matter if the news is true or not, we need to go check it out."
"It's not like it'll take a long time for us to get to the twelfth floor with our speed. Let's go have a look..."
Over seventy percent of all the supreme Godkings on the eighth floor departed. Although they had come primarily for the Neptunean Divine Palace, it did not mean that a Grand Prime's legacy did not interest them. It was just that they knew just how difficult it was to gain the recognition of a legacy, so they naturally did not fantasize about it.
However, if a Grand Prime's legacy was in their arm's reach, they would not just pass up on it.
In the blink of an eye, most of the supreme Godkings on the eighth floor had left. Only a few people remained there, watching over the place stubbornly.
Even Can Ying, Bai Yi, and Gong Zheng left with Jia Na's group, advancing to the twelfth floor.
When the three of them left, Ming Dong who sat in the sky opened his eyes. He glanced at the three of them coldly, but he did not stop them.
In reality, Ming Dong had given up on hunting down the three of them after hearing that Jian Chen was still alive. He did not even go searching for the last supreme Godking who worked against Jian Chen.
This was because he was waiting for his brother to personally take this revenge.
Chapter 2124: Shui Yunlan's Strength
Jian Chen did not venture to the eighth floor personally. After spreading the news, he stayed on the ninth floor to observe the passageway between the eighth and ninth floors from very far away.
"Just as I had expected, those Godkings on the eighth floor also want the Grand Prime's legacy." Looking at the supreme Godkings who constantly emerged from the passageway with lightning speed, Jian Chen could not help but sneer inside.
He mainly spread the news to draw over all the supreme Godkings gathered on the eighth floor. This was because all these supreme Godkings had come for Xiao Man. They had come with the intentions of obtaining the Neptunean Divine Palace, so they were naturally extremely powerful. Their rankings on the Godkings' Throne were higher up as well, with many making it into the top hundred or even the top ten. Their battle prowess was extremely impressive.
Although there were also supreme Godkings from the Godkings' Throne on the twelfth floor, they all ranked towards the bottom. They were weaker supreme Godkings, which was why they could not even withstand a single attack from Shui Yunlan and Audriana.
The supreme Godkings who hurried up from the eighth floor naturally were on a completely different level compared to the supreme Godkings on the twelfth floor.
After the Godkings had shot off into the distance, Jian Chen left as well. He maintained his appearance as a burly man and concealed his presence as he tailed them back to the twelfth floor.
When Jian Chen arrived on the twelfth floor again, powerful storms of energy were wreaking havoc. Terrifying pressures filled the surroundings, giving people a feeling that the sky was collapsing.
A portion of the supreme Godkings who had hurried up from the eighth floor had already joined the battle, causing the fight there to become particularly intense. It was truly devastating, enough to make the world wail out in pain. It seemed like the end of the world.
As expected, the supreme Godkings from the eighth floor were extremely powerful. Every single one of them possessed the right to reign among Godkings. Together, they actually managed to keep Audriana and Shui Yunlan locked in combat, unable to break free from it.
Audriana shone with resplendent green light with a presence brimming with life. The dense Laws of Life revolved around her, causing her to become indestructible. Many supreme Godkings even struggled to injure her.
This was because she grasped the Laws of Life. Her life force was just too great, where it was difficult for her to become injured unless she faced an opponent on a similar level.
Audriana stopped over thirty supreme Godkings all by herself.
However, Audriana was benevolent. Against these Godkings, she only fended them off or kept them busy. She did not act viciously and harm any of them.
To the other side, Shui Yunlan seemed cold-blooded and merciless compared to Audriana's benevolence. Coldness permeated her surroundings, turning the surroundings into a world of ice. Her eyes were extremely cold, making her seem like a god of slaughter. She did not go easy on them, having injured many supreme Godkings already. If it were not for the fact that they fled fast enough and there were other opponents who kept her busy, they probably would have died under Shui Yunlan's hands already.
"This woman appeared on the eighth floor before. She stood on the lava without any assistance from foreign forces. I never thought she'd be so powerful.."
"Who is this? She is actually managing to stop so many supreme Godkings all by herself, and she seems like she's doing it with ease. Clearly, she is still holding back some strength. Moreover, there are quite a few deviants who rank in the top hundred who are fighting her..."
"The coldness she controls is just too terrifying. I've never seen such coldness, where even Godkings who rank in the top hundred dare not take it on directly..."
"Aside from two or three of them, the rest of the top ten supreme Godkings are very mysterious. The information on them is just too limited, making it impossible to guess her identity..."
"Maybe the woman is the Godking who ranks first, Qing Shang..."
"Impossible. The Godking who ranks first, Qing Shan, belongs to the Martial Soul Lineage. He uses Martial Soul Force. Although I haven't personally seen what Martial Soul Force is like, it clearly isn't this cold power..."
...
In the distance, there were still many supreme Godkings from the eighth floor who had not taken part. They stood in the distance and watched on as they sighed in amazement. Shui Yunlan's great strength had startled them all. Angst or grimness filled their eyes.
"Fifth prince, you have to succeed. You have to..." In the distance, mister Shu stared at the fifth prince who was enveloped by the light as he felt extremely nervous inside. He had already separated himself from the battle with the guards and the people of the Yun family. He used the Cataclysmic Onyxwind Fan to protect everyone.
This was because this battle was not something he could intervene in.
"You won't succeed. You will never succeed. That's right. There are so many supreme Godkings here, so they won't just watch you obtain the legacy..." Yun Xin repeated in her heart. She was cursing him. She had secretly sworn that she would take revenge for Jian Chen, so she naturally did not wish to see the fifth prince succeed. She even hoped that the fifth prince would just die here.
Suddenly, the might of a god artifact appeared. A supreme Godking wielded a huge mace and swung it towards Shui Yunlan with the special energy pulses of a god artifact.
Shui Yunlan's gaze did not change at all. There was no panic. Her soft, white hands were covered by a thin layer of translucent ice as she directly struck out with her palm.
The palm strike possessed an elated presence and a bearing like it reigned supreme in the entire world.
Boom!
With that sound, the supreme Godking's god artifact was knocked away by Shui Yunlan's strike. Even the supreme Godking himself vomited a mouthful of blood and was blown away.
As he flew backwards, a thin layer of ice crystals rapidly expanded across his body. In a single instance, he was reduced to a life-like sculpture of ice, and when he struck the ground, he shattered like china.
He had truly been reduced to pieces.
"Heavens, she actually took on a god artifact with her bare hands..."
"This woman truly is terrifyingly powerful. She doesn't even fear god artifacts."
The hearts of all the supreme Godkings in the surroundings leapt up when they saw that. If it were not for the fact that Shui Yunlan truly exhibited the cultivation of a Godking, they would even suspect her to be a Primordial realm expert.
At this moment, the light around the fifth prince suddenly brightened. It shone like the sun, illuminating the entire world. A Space Ring flew out along the streak of light. When it threaded itself along one of the fifth prince's fingers, he seemed to have formally received a certain type of recognition. Under the light, his seated body gradually drifted towards the forehead of the statue.
"The ring is out! Do it!"
It was also at this moment that the supreme Godkings who had yet to take part chose to strike out after a gleam of light flashed through their eyes. All of them turned into blurs as they charged towards the fifth prince with surging presences. They attacked the light around the fifth prince greedily.
A Grand Prime's legacy tempted them far too much. Even with Shui Yunlan and Audriana blocking them, they did not shy away at all.
Immediately, with the entry of all the supreme Godkings, the battle shockwaves reached a whole new level. It was extremely violent.
There were just far too many supreme Godkings. There were several hundred of them and even several dozen from the top hundred on the Godkings' Throne, so even Audriana and Shui Yunlan were unable to stop them all. All the supreme Godkings arrived before the barrier of light, and their attacks made it shake violently.
Chapter 2125: Disguise Seen Through
Although the streak of light from between the statue's eyes possessed a certain level of defence, it was not too powerful. It was unable to last for very long at all under the attacks of so many supreme Godkings.
However, the light currently guided the fifth prince towards the forehead of the statue. Although he did not move quickly, he was definitely not slow either. It was enough for him to enter the statue before the barrier of light was destroyed.
"The sculptures of the Grand Primes are far too tough. We can't let him enter the statue. Everyone unleash your full strength. Use god artifacts to stop him," a supreme Godking called out. Immediately, pressures belonging to god artifacts permeated the surroundings. Many supreme Godkings used god artifacts regardless of how heavily they would deplete their origin energy.
There were just far too many supreme Godkings taking action. Even though Audriana and Shui Yunlan possessed unmatched battle prowess, they could not match up to them. Immediately, waves of powerful attacks from various god artifacts struck the barrier of light around the fifth prince, causing it to tremble violently and show signs of shattering.
By now, the fifth prince had already arrived before the forehead of the statue under the guidance of the light. He was about to enter the statue successfully.
He abruptly opened his eyes at this moment. They were filled with evident joy and excitement. He glanced around and looked at the supreme Godkings who were originally indomitable in his eyes. When he saw them charge towards him enviously, wanting to take his fortuitous encounter for themselves greedily, he felt satisfied inside. He could not help but laugh aloud.
"Hahahaha, this is my destiny. I'm blessed by the heavens, which is why I have this fortuitous encounter. It belongs to me, and it's my way to rise up. Everyone, you better stop fighting for it. You can't deny fate. You can't..." The fifth prince laughed at the sky. He knew that it was already set in stone - he would obtain the Grand Prime's legacy. All the supreme Godkings in the surroundings were unable to stop him because the light around him could last for another ten seconds, while he only needed to take a step to enter the statue.
The fifth prince turned around gracefully as he laughed aloud. He looked at the forehead of the statue that was only inches away. In his eyes, there was a vortex there that contained powerful pulses of space. He knew he only needed to step into the vortex, and he would be teleported into the statue, perhaps taken to an unknown space created by the Grand Prime. No one would be able to disturb him there.
The fifth prince raised his foot complacently as he was about to step in.
However, at this moment, the gloomy twelfth floor that only had hazy moonlight suddenly lit up completely, like it had become daytime.
Two strands of finger-sized sword Qi shone resplendently like the sun. They radiated with sword intent that frightened all the supreme Godkings as they formed a line, one at the front and one at the back, shooting towards the fifth prince.
At that critical moment, Jian Chen who had always remained hidden moved. He would never just watch the fifth prince enter the statue, so in the final moment, he shot out two strands of Profound Sword Qi without any hesitation.
Moreover, his third strand of Profound Sword Qi was prepared as well, ready to be used at any time.
The Profound Sword Qi moved with unbelievable speed. They overcame the limits of time and space, arriving before the fifth prince in a split second. Before the fifth prince could even react, the first strand of Profound Sword Qi had struck the barrier of light.
Immediately, the barrier of light shook even more violently. It had already withstood the attacks of all the supreme Godkings, so it was nearing collapse. Now that it endured a strand of Profound Sword Qi, it immediately became riddled with web-like cracks.
Afterwards, the second strand of Profound Sword Qi struck the barrier of light as well, immediately causing it to shatter loudly.
The second strand of Profound Sword Qi did not disperse after that. Although most of its power was consumed, a third of it still remained as the Profound Sword Qi dulled.
However, it did not slow down at all. With just the remaining third of its power, it shot into fifth prince's forehead as a streak of light.
"Argh!"
The fifth prince immediately emitted a painful shriek. The muscles on his face twisted as his soul was injured.
Moreover, as the barrier of light around him had shattered from the Profound Sword Qi, he had lost its guidance. As a result, he could no longer remain in the air. He fell out of the sky in horrible shape.
This was because no one was able to levitate around the Grand Primes' statues. Without the protection and guidance of the streak of light, the fifth prince was naturally unable to maintain the same height as the statues.
All of this had happened in an instance. Only a split second had passed from when Jian Chen shot out the two strands of Profound Sword Qi to when they shattered the streak of light and injured the fifth prince's soul.
This was because the strands of Profound Sword Qi were just too fast. They were so fast that basically all the supreme Godkings around were unable to react.
"W- what was that..."
"The white light seemed like two strands of sword Qi, but it doesn't seem like it at the same time. It was just too fast. I couldn't see it at all, and even the senses of my soul failed to capture it..."
All the Godkings in the surroundings were terrifying. They all felt life-threatening danger from the two strands of Profound Sword Qi earlier.
With such terrifying speed, if the sword Qi targeted them, they would not have been able to emerge alive.
To another side, Shui Yunlan and Audriana both looked over. They looked at where the Profound Sword Qi came from sternly.
Under the purposeful searching of the two of them, it was impossible for Jian Chen to avoid their senses no matter how well he hid.
As a result, the two of them naturally discovered the person behind the Profound Sword Qi. It was a bare-chested, burly man who had eyes as sharp as swords.
However, when they saw the burly man, Shui Yunlan and Audriana's expressions differed. Shui Yunlan remained icy-cold and emotionless.
Audriana, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. She stared at the man's eyes, and her heart shivered, "That gaze..."
The sharp gaze from the man gave Audriana a familiar feeling.
However, Audriana also became temporarily confused when she saw this completely unfamiliar man. She had no idea why she found him familiar.
In the distance, mister Shu watched the streak of light shatter and the fifth prince who had fallen out of the sky while clutching his head and shrieking out in pain. Immediately, he became utterly furious before gazing in the direction where the Profound Sword Qi came from with deep resentment. He was no longer able to keep up his scholarly appearance. His face twisted as he roared out in an aggrieved manner, "Jian Chen! It's you! It's actually you! Never would I have thought that not only would you be still alive, but you would even destroy the fifth prince's chance to rise up as well! We'll never forgive you!"
Although mister Shu failed to recognise Jian Chen, he remembered Jian Chen's Profound Sword Qi like it was from yesterday. Just the two strands of Profound Sword Qi were enough for him to see through Jian Chen's disguise immediately.
"The two of you, please kill Jian Chen. From today onwards, you will become the most esteemed guests of our Sky Empire. Our Sky Empire will definitely treat you as distinguished guests," mister Shu implored Audriana and protector Shui for assistance. Right now, his hatred for Jian Chen had never been and would never be deeper.
The fifth prince was just about to obtain a great fortuitous encounter and rise up. The entire Sky Empire would benefit as well, but in that final moment, he was struck by a sneak attack from Jian Chen, reducing all his efforts to zero.
This made mister Shu furious, almost to the point of insanity. Hatred filled him completely, where he was tempted to drink Jian Chen's blood and devour him whole.
Chapter 2126: Targeted by All
"That's right. It's Jian Chen. There's no doubt about it..." Bai Yi, who had been injured by the Profound Sword Qi and still had not recovered, called out from another side. He looked in the direction of the Profound Sword Qi as disbelief filled his face.
"W- wasn't he beaten into the lava? How is he still alive? Impossible, this is completely impossible. Jian Chen was heavily injured back then. His body should have melted when he fell into the lava with such wounds. How is he still alive..." The successor of the Solitary Sword lineage, Gong Zheng, cried out. He seemed like he had seen a ghost.
"It can't be wrong. It can't be wrong. The person who dealt the sneak attack is Jian Chen because no other person can wield such terrifying sword Qi..." Cang Ying also cried out as he was greatly shocked. He struggled to calm down.
The three of them had fought Jian Chen before, and they had personally struck Jian Chen into the lava. To them, there should not have been any remains of Jian Chen left, as the lava should have burnt to all to a crisp. Yet, Jian Chen's sudden appearance right now had caused them indescribably shock.
"Argh! Jian Chen, I want you to die a graveless death..." To another side, the fifth prince who was injured by the Profound Sword Qi and had fallen out of the sky roared out furiously as well. His eyes had become completely bloodshot now. His resentment for Jian Chen was so great that it drove him crazy. He had almost lost all rationality.
He was so close. He only needed a single step, just a single step, and he would have entered the Grand Prime's statue to accept the complete legacy, completely succeeding a Grand Prime. Even all the supreme Godkings could only watch from outside, unable to do anything to him.
However, Jian Chen's actions transformed his distance from the Grand Prime's legacy from a step away to unreachable. There was no more hope left for him to obtain it.
This filled the fifth prince with rage, almost to the point where he lost his mind. He had basically been forced out of heaven and into hell. The tremendous change was something he struggled to accept. What he struggled to accept even more was that the person behind all this was actually Jian Chen.
Audriana and Shui Yunlan stopped fighting. They both looked in Jian Chen's direction as the light in their eyes flickered.
"No wonder I found his gaze rather familiar. Turns out it's Jian Chen. I never thought he'd emerge from the lava..." Audriana smiled faintly. She had never thought that the almost impossible mission the War God had given her would be completed so easily.
"Jian Chen? Is it really him? His presence is hidden, so I can't tell. But since so many people have confirmed it, it can't be wrong. It looks like there's hope of me finding Mo Tianyun," Shui Yunlan rejoiced under her helmet before directing her gaze towards the fifth prince.
Or more accurately, she directed her gaze towards the Space Ring on the fifth prince's finger.
The Space Ring had flown out from the statue's forehead. Its value was unimaginable.
"I have already taken action and assisted you. According to the agreement, all the divine crystals and heavenly resources among the Grand Prime's belongings are mine now," Shui Yunlan's icy voice rang through the twelfth floor. She completely ignored mister Shu's furious roars that demanded her to kill Jian Chen. She did not wait for the fifth prince to agree either as she directly conjured an icy hand towards the fifth prince.
When Shui Yunlan moved, the supreme Godkings in the surroundings did not sit around idly either. They all struck out and charged towards the fifth prince for the Space Ring on his finger.
Moreover, the eyes of some supreme Godkings shone brightly. They ignored the fifth prince's Space Ring and instead looked at the fifth prince's head. His soul had caught their eyes.
Of course, not everyone charged at the fifth prince. More than half of the supreme Godkings rapidly approached where Jian Chen stood without any hesitation after learning his identity.
Audriana no longer fought. She looked at the enraged mister Shu and said, "I've already made time for your fifth prince. He failed to obtain the complete legacy as he wished in the end, but all you can blame is the fifth prince's destiny. I will be visiting your Sky Empire for the Life Starcore." With that, Audriana charged towards Jian Chen rapidly. She could already tell that Jian Chen seemed to be in a bad situation after his identity was exposed.
In the distance, the middle-aged man that Jian Chen had transformed into turned into a blur, flying towards the exit off the twelfth floor as quickly as possible.
He had expected the Profound Sword Qi to expose his identity. However, there was nothing else he could do if he could stop the fifth prince from obtaining the Grand Prime's legacy.
Moreover, he had been ready to retreat long ago.
"Quick! Stop Jian Chen! He's fleeing to the eleventh floor..."
"Since he's still alive, the girl must be with him. We have to capture him this time..."
Behind, the supreme Godkings all called out. In their eyes, Jian Chen was crucial to whether they could obtain the Neptunean Divine Palace. As a result, they could not let him go no matter what.
However, some of them hesitated slightly. Although they also chased after Jian Chen, they clearly did not seem as determined as others.
"First young master, Jian Chen is a close brother of Ming Dong, and Ming Dong is connected to the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng. What should we do?"
"Our target is only the girl and not to become enemies with Jian Chen. This is an open and fair competition..."
The supreme Godkings gathered on the twelfth floor had split into two groups now. One group charged towards the fifth prince for his Space Ring, while the other group pursued Jian Chen.
To the other side, the fifth prince watched the huge, icy hand rapidly extend towards him and the supreme Godkings who charged over from the surroundings. He could not help but laugh aloud madly, "You're dreaming if you want my fortune!" With that, the fifth prince suddenly took out a simple talisman from the Space Ring he had obtained from the Grand Prime's legacy and activated quickly.
Immediately, a mysterious power erupted from the talisman. It engulfed the fifth prince and sucked him away before Shui Yunlan's hand arrived.
"The Neptunean Divine Palace is a high quality god artifact. It's impossible for him to flee outside through that talisman alone. He must still be in the Neptunean Divine Palace. Everyone search for him..." the supreme Godkings in the surroundings dispersed together. A portion of them went to search for the fifth prince, while the other portion joined the group that hunted down Jian Chen.
Shui Yunlan's eyes turned cold. She glanced in the direction which the fifth prince had vanished coldly before arriving before mister Shu and the others. She snorted coldly, "You must all follow me before I find the fifth prince. If you want to survive, then make sure your fifth prince upholds his word and gives me all the divine crystals and heavenly resources in the Space Ring."
"We will definitely uphold our word. Please kill Jian Chen and once that is complete. You will have the deep gratitude of our Sky Empire," mister Shu pleaded.
"Hmph, you probably can't afford the price of asking me to kill Jian Chen," Shui Yunlan snorted coldly.
"Our Sky Empire is an eternal empire after all. Our heritage runs deep, so there is no price we cannot pay. Please assist us."
"If you can get a Grand Exalt to assist me, I can kill Jian Chen for you right now..."
Chapter 2127: Returning to the Neptunean Mountains
These words stunned Mister Shu, and his face became flushed.
Just how great were Grand Exalts? Across the entire Saints' World, there were only a few of them. They were the stuff of legends.
Although their Sky Empire had a deep heritage and the right to strive to become an everlasting empire, even if they did become an everlasting empire, Grand Exalts would still be indomitable existences.
Requesting a Grand Exalt's help was basically no different from a fairytale.
Moreover, if their Sky Empire could request for a Grand Exalt to take action, would there be any need for them to fear Jian Chen anymore? Let alone the fact that Jian Chen would not be able to pose a threat to them in the future, but even the supreme prodigies would not have been bold enough to attack the fifth prince as he was receiving the legacy.
At this moment, a thin layer of ice crystals rapidly expanded on mister Shu's body. In just a split second, he was reduced to an ice sculpture.
Mister Shu was not the only one that had been frozen. Even the remaining guards and the people of the Yun family had all been immobilised by Shui Yunlan. Even Yun Xin failed to avoid such a fate.
Although they were Godkings and mister Shu even wielded a god artifact, Shui Yunlan was just too powerful. Mister Shu and the others were unable to put up any resistance against her.
"I won't harm your lives. Once I find your fifth prince and obtain what belongs to me from the Space Ring, I'll let you go," Shui Yunlan said emotionlessly before stowing them all away in a divine hall. Then she looked at Jian Chen who fled as quickly as he could in the distance, and mixed feelings filled her eyes.
"I originally thought that I would never have any dealings with you, and even if I encountered you, it would be on the battlefield. After all, you belong to the Immortals' World, and you're the successor of the Sword Sect of Violet Heavens. You will become an irreconcilable enemy of our Ice Goddess Hall sooner or later. Although you're siblings with her majesty in the lower world, that's only the case before her majesty recovers her memories. It won't extend to her previous life. Once her majesty recovers her memories, I believe she'll never spare you. She'll kill you personally."
"It's just that the Ice Goddess Hall is different from before. Aside from Mo Tianyun, there is no one else who can help us. And for me to find Mo Tianyun, I must go through you," Shui Yunlan was filled with bitterness. After sighing gently, she shot off after Jian Chen with a sliver of helplessness.
Up ahead, Jian Chen also became startled as he fled towards the eleventh floor when he saw that the fifth prince had survived and vanished through a talisman. He glanced at the supreme Godkings who drew closer in closer. Especially when he saw some of them draw their god artifacts, and he no longer hesitated at all. He was prepared to use the Linear Lightning Release to charge towards the passageway.
Suddenly, there was an azure flash of light. It surpassed all the supreme Godkings, charging towards Jian Chen with indescribable speed.
Cang Ying took action. He shone with resplendent azure light as he seemed to transform into an azure peng. He used the Azure Peng's Movement Technique to pursue Jian Chen in an attempt to stop him from leaving.
Although Cang Ying's strength ranked towards the bottom among the supreme Godkings, he was basically unmatched in terms of speed with the Azure Peng's Movement Technique. Very few people could surpass him.
"Jian Chen, even if you have the support of Ming Dong, I'll make it impossible for you to escape today," determination flooded Cang Ying's eyes. He indeed feared Ming Dong's strength very much, but there were so many supreme Godkings chasing Jian Chen right now. He believed that even if Ming Dong was present, he would not be able to turn the situation around. He only needed to keep Jian Chen busy for a few seconds, and all the supreme Godkings would surround him.
When Cang Ying struck out, two flying swords with blinding light shot through the sky as well with the special pulses of god artifacts, heading directly towards Jian Chen.
"Cang Ying!" Jian Chen naturally discovered Cang Ying who pursued him closely. A cold light flickered in his eyes as his killing intent surged. Clearly, Cang Ying saw that he had used his two strands of Profound Sword Qi, which was why he had charged up so fearlessly. However, Cang Ying did not know that he had refined a third strand of Profound Sword Qi.
But at this moment, Jian Chen had no intentions of using the third strand of Profound Sword Qi. Cang Ying was indeed fast, but compared to his Linear Lightning Release, he was still slower.
Suddenly, a green streak of light shot over. Audriana used her dense life force to condense a tree of life. Countless vines flooded out into the surroundings with lightning speed, wrapping around Cang Ying and the two god artifacts to make time for Jian Chen.
Audriana's sudden interference surprised Jian Chen slightly. He looked back in Audriana's direction, and in the next moment, he became covered with dazzling light. Engulfed by the sword Qi, he shot off towards the passageway with lightning speed, entering the eleventh floor.
Behind, the supreme Godkings continued to tail him relentlessly. They charged onto the eleventh floor as well.
Jian Chen had completely vanished through the use of the Linear Lightning Release as soon as he reached the eleventh floor, escaping the range of the senses of Godkings' soul. However, he could not help but leave behind some traces.
"There's the slightest presence of sword Qi in the air. He moved this way. He's going to the tenth floor. Follow him. We can't let him leave the Neptunean Divine Palace..."
The supreme Godkings called out as they pursued full speed ahead according to the traces left behind by Jian Chen.
Unsurprisingly, Shui Yunlan and Audriana were among them as well. They were at the very front.
"Audriana, go chase down Jian Chen and stow him away in your divine hall. He'll be much safer like that. I'll make time for you," Shui Yunlan told Audriana suddenly. Afterwards, under Audriana's surprised and confused gaze, Shui Yunlan suddenly struck out against the supreme Godkings near her, injuring several people instantly.
"Bastard, what are you doing..."
"Sir, we have no grievances, so why did you suddenly launch a sneak attack on me..."
...
Immediately, the supreme Godkings around Shui Yunlan roared out furiously.
"Why don't you go? There are too many supreme Godkings here. I can't last for very long," Shui Yunlan called out at Audriana. The silver-white armor on her body gave off an intense coldness, and at the same time, a fist-sized orb hovered above her head, radiating with a special pulse of energy that belonged to god artifacts.
Shui Yunlan did not use a god artifact when she made time for the fifth prince before. She had been holding back. Yet now, she had drawn her god artifact, so she was clearly ready to unleash her full strength.
After all, not only did she have to face several times more Godkings this time, but most of them were even ranked within the top hundred. They were extremely powerful.
...
Jian Chen used the Linear Lightning Release consecutively. Before long, he left the eleventh floor and reached the tenth floor. However, without resting at all, he used the Linear Lightning Release again to cover the distance. Only after travelling several million kilometres away from the entrance did he rest. Then he changed his appearance and stature through the Chaotic Body, becoming a ruddy old man who flew towards the ninth floor steadily.
"Those supreme Godkings should catch up very soon, but I've changed my appearance now. As long as I don't use Chaotic Force and Profound Sword Qi, they shouldn't be able to recognise me," Jian Chen thought. He had already thought up some lies so that he could deal with them appropriately once he was stopped by people and interrogated.
But to his surprise, the next part of the journey was extremely smooth. He did not encounter a single supreme Godking on the tenth floor, allowing him to reach the ninth floor successfully. However, he did find quite a few regular Godkings and a few Overgods who moved around in the surroundings in search of their own fortuitous encounters.
Jian Chen flew in a straight line while maintaining a low profile on the ninth floor. Before long, he returned to the Neptunean Mountains that he had departed from many years ago.
As soon as he entered the boundary of the Neptunean Mountains, Chanlong appeared before Jian Chen silently. It was truly like he had teleported. He did not give off any presence at all, where Jian Chen was unable to sense him. He could only see him with Chanlong eyes.
"I knew you wouldn't die so easily," Chanlong smiled. Jian Chen's return made him relieved.
"How did you recognise me?" Jian Chen rubbed his nose as he asked in surprise. He was disguised as a ruddy old man right now, and his presence was concealed, yet Chanlong still recognised him with a single glance.
"The world of the Neptunean Mountains is equivalent to my territory. No one can hide in my territory. No matter how you disguise yourself, you won't be able to hide from me," Chanlong stroked his beard as he said proudly.
Chapter 2128: Hunting Down the Fifth Prince (One)
Jian Chen came to a realisation. He sighed in amazement inside. He knew that Chalong's control over the Neptunean Mountains was becoming greater and greater after spending several years there.
"Is Kai Ya well?" Chanlong asked. He felt a strange sense of familiarity with Kai Ya, and as his strength increased, the sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger. Naturally, he cared for Kai Ya very much.
Jian Chen nodded. He glanced behind him and said, "Let's go in, and then we can talk."
Chanlong could see Jian Chen's worry and could not help but laugh aloud, "I've heard of all the disturbances you and Kai Ya have created in the Neptunean Divine Palace. However, you have nothing to worry about in the Neptunean Mountains. It won't be up to them to decide what happens here," Chanlong said in an awe-inspiring manner. The supreme Godkings did not concern him at all.
However, he did indeed possess that right. Having grasped the Grand Exalt's formation in the Neptunean Mountains, he was indeed confident enough to fear nobody in the palace.
Jian Chen and Chanlong immediately returned to the cave that they had created several years ago.
At the same time, where Jian Chen had changed his appearance a second time on the tenth floor, the alluring Audriana in a green dress hovered in the sky. Dense and pure life force radiated from her, causing everything to bloom and the dreary ground to become filled with life again. A green hue expanded across the crowd at a visible rate into the distance.
Audriana did not do this on purpose. It was completely caused by the powerful life force she exuded.
"All of his traces have vanished here," Audriana looked around at the surroundings as the senses of her soul flooded out as well. A while later, she smiled bitterly, "This kid is getting better and better at hiding himself. He hasn't even left the slightest trace behind, so how am I supposed to find him? I know many secret techniques for searching for people, but he hasn't even left any presence behind, so I can't find him with them."
"It looks like I can only borrow the group..." Audriana glanced at the eleventh floor before leaving. She carefully hid several tens of thousand kilometres away.
Before long, a great group of supreme Godkings surged over. They arrived where Jian Chen's presence vanished, and their expressions were very ugly. Some of them were injured. Although it did not seem severe, they did seem like they were in horrible shape.
Shui Yunlan was not among them.
"All traces and presences have vanished here..."
"If it weren't for the fact that we were kept busy by that person with the powers of ice and wasted so much time with her, Jian Chen would have never been able to escape from us..."
"Hmph, he can't escape. I'll use a secret technique and turn back time so that we can peer into the past."
Immediately, a supreme Godking stood forward from the crowd. He used a secret technique to peer into the past.
First, they saw the scene where Audriana was here. However, she seemed blurry and almost indistinguishable.
Both Audriana's personal cultivation and comprehension of laws surpassed the supreme Godking who turned back time, so he was only able to project a blurry figure of Audriana through his secret technique.
However, no one paid attention to Audriana. Instead, they waited patiently. Finally, Jian Chen's figure appeared in the projected scene a few seconds later. The supreme Godkings in the surroundings saw exactly what he did, including the direction which he left in.
Without any hesitation, the supreme Godkings all moved off in the direction where Jian Chen had left in.
After a simple conversation with Chanlong, Jian Chen directly proceeded to where Hei Ya cultivated in seclusion in the Neptunean Mountains on the ninth floor.
When Hei Ya saw Jian Chen, he was clearly startled. However, he soon showed joy, and he also sighed in relief. He said, "There were rumours everywhere that you were beaten into the lava on the eighth floor. I had thought you were done for."
"Don't worry. My life can't be taken that easily. Hei Ya, quickly make some preparations and leave with me," said Jian Chen.
Seeing how stern Jian Chen was, Hei Ya gradually became solemn as well. He asked, "Where are we going?"
"The fifth prince of your Sky Empire is quite lucky. He gained the recognition of a Grand Prime's legacy."
"What? A Grand Prime's legacy?" Hei Yu paled in fright. He had basically betrayed the fifth prince already, so once the fifth prince left the Neptunean Divine Palace with his life intact, he would definitely rise up with the assistance of the legacy. If the fifth prince decided to look into his betrayal, the fifth prince would never spare Hei Yu's clan with his personality.
"Don't worry. He failed to obtain the complete legacy. I intervened at a crucial time. However, he did vanish with a Space Ring from the legacy. However, I'm certain that the fifth prince hasn't fled from the Neptunean Divine Palace. He must be hiding somewhere, so I need you to use your innate talent to find him. It's the perfect time to kill him right now," said Jian Chen. It had been a chaotic battle on the twelfth floor, but he saw the fifth prince leave all by himself clearly, without any guards. Even mister Shu, the only person who could stop him, was not there, so killing the fifth prince would be a piece of cake.
Afterwards, Jian Chen left the Neptunean Mountains in a hurry with Hei Ya. As they traveled, Jian Chen ingested a heavenly resource from the Divine Medicinal Garden.
Some of the heavenly resources could recover the power of the soul, which would make up for what he used up when he utilised the two strands of Profound Sword Qi.
"The fifth prince is not on this floor. Let's go down." Hei Ya used his innate talent to search for the fifth prince's trace. Right now, he was clearly irreplaceable.
Jian Chen took Hei Ya with him and arrived on the eighth floor in a hurry. He avoided Ming Dong and the supreme Godkings who had not received the news about the twelfth floor and remained there from afar. He got Hei Ya to sense the entire place again.
"He's not here either. Let's keep going down," said Hei Ya.
Without any hesitation, Jian Chen directly brought Hei Ya to the seventh floor.
"Found him. The fifth prince is hiding on the seventh floor. He's in that direction, over five million kilometres away from us..." Very soon, Hei Ya's eyes lit up. He had located the fifth prince accurately.
A vicious gleam of light flashed through Jian Chen's eyes, "Hei Ya, it's unsuitable for you to meet the fifth prince right now. You better hide in this divine hall for now." Jian Chen pulled out a divine hall, and after a basic refinement, he let Hei Ya into it.
The divine hall was one of his spoils of battle. Although it was not of high quality, it was enough to hide someone.
Then Jian Chen hid his presence and concealed himself. He flew towards where the fifth prince hid all by himself.
Currently, the disheveled fifth prince hid in an obscure hole deep beneath the ground with a pale face. The muscles on his face were completely twisted, making him seem extremely horrific. His bloodshot eyes were filled with much hatred and rage.
"Jian Chen. Jian Chen. I will never spare you. I will never spare you. I swear, I will make you suffer from the most excruciating torture in the world before taking your life..."
"It was a Grand Prime's legacy. That was a Grand Prime's legacy. All I needed was a step, just that tiny step in the end, and it would have been mine... It's all because of you. Jian Chen, it's all because of you that I lost my chance to rise up. I want to rip out your tendons, skin you alive, drink your blood, and swallow you hole. I want you to beg for death..."
The fifth prince roared furiously. He had almost become insane. He hated Jian Chen extremely deeply.
Chapter 2129: Hunting Down the Fifth Prince (Two)
"Countless people want to take my legacy. Countless people want to take my fortune. Unfortunately, I won't let you succeed. I won't let you get what you want because it belongs to me..." The fifth prince gritted his teeth as resentment filled his heart.
Then he looked at the Space Ring on his finger. The Space Ring had flown out from the forehead of the statue. It belonged to a Grand Prime of the Daoist Sect of Neptunea, so its value was evident.
However, the fifth prince was not satisfied with the Space Ring. He knew that the Space Ring was only a tiny fraction of the legacy. It could not even be considered as the legacy, and it was just the belongings of a Grand Prime.
The core and most important part could only be obtained from inside the statue.
A long while later, the fifth prince's unstable emotions slowly calmed down. He silently endured the piercing pain from his soul as determination flooded his eyes. He thought, "I can't leave the Neptunean Divine Palace. I must get the Grand Prime's legacy. Moreover, I've already gained the recognition of the legacy, so I should be able to reenter the statue."
At this moment, the hole in which the fifth prince hid in suddenly began to tremble. Dust and soil rained down.
The fifth prince's face suddenly changed. Without any hesitation, he equipped a set of supreme quality saint artifact armor before stabbing up as hard as he could with a sword.
Boom!
With a rumble, a strand of sword Qi filled with destructive, violent energy descended from the surface of the ground. It punched through several dozen meters of rock and struck the hole in the ground with great accuracy, colliding with the fifth prince's sword.
Immediately, the ground shook, and earth was thrown into the air. With the collision, the fifth prince's hole directly collapsed. In a single moment, the hole caved in completely.
The fifth prince vomited a mouthful of blood. His face was twisted in a vicious fashion as he directly charged out of the hole.
"It's actually you, Jian Chen." The fifth prince stood in the air with his sword as he faced the unscathed Jian Chen. Immediately, he could not help but roar out furiously. His bloodshot eyes were filled with the flames of rage.
"Fifth prince, long time no see. How does it feel to hide underground?" Jian Chen smiled faintly as he asked calmly. He seemed like he was at ease.
However, Jian Chen's words became a naked provocation when the fifth prince heard them. Immediately, his face twisted viciously as he shouted out, "Jian Chen, you've spent so much effort searching for me just because you desire my Space Ring, don't you? Since you want it so much, I'll give it to you." With that, the fifth prince took off the Space Ring on his finger without any hesitation. He seemed like he was about to throw it, but he removed a talisman from the Space Ring with lightning speed instead, activating it as quickly as possible.
Although the fifth prince completely resented Jian Chen, he did not lose his rationality. He knew that even with his advantage in cultivation, he was nowhere close to being Jian Chen's opponent. As such, he chose to flee without any hesitation at all.
Jian Chen reacted extremely quickly. There was a silver-white flash, and his sword stabbed out towards the fifth prince with lightning speed.
However, the talisman in the fifth prince's hands was extraordinary. It was of very high quality, so the moment it was activated, the fifth prince vanished completely, causing Jian Chen's sword to miss.
"He sure is clever. He hasn't lost his mind to rage, but do you still think you still can escape?" Jian Chen sneered before immediately summoning Hei Ya.
The Neptunean Divine Palace was vast. Each floor was like a miniature world of its own, but with Hei Ya, no matter where the fifth prince fled to, he was unable to escape from Jian Chen.
Several hours later, Jian Chen directly made his way to the third floor from the seventh floor. Under Hei Ya's guidance, he arrived in a swamp shrouded by poisonous mist and infested with venomous insects.
Currently, the fifth prince hid himself in a part of the swamp while keeping his presence concealed. He did not give off any pulses of energy, where he seemed like he had fused with the swamp completely. He was quietly healing his wounds through pills.
Jian Chen's battle prowess was far greater than his. Even though Jian Chen was only an early Godking, a casual strike from him could match supreme Godkings. As a result, the fifth prince had directly become injured by the sword Qi that penetrated the ground during the clash earlier.
Moreover, his soul was wounded by the Profound Sword Qi as well, so he had to endure a heart-wrenching pain at all times.
"Just how did Jian Chen find me? I only just fled from the twelfth floor. How could he find where I was hiding in such a short time in such a large place? Moreover, where I hid was extremely well-concealed." The fifth prince completely calmed down as a cold light flickered in his eyes.
Suddenly, the fifth prince sensed the surrounding swamp suddenly tremble. Before he could respond, Jian Chen's figure appeared before him. He was shrouded by a blinding, protective light, pushing aside the mist in the surroundings. He stabbed out with his sword in the first moment possible.
This time, Jian Chen moved extremely quickly. As soon as he arrived in the swamp, he struck out with lightning speed, giving the fifth prince no opportunity to escape.
The fifth prince still had his supreme quality saint artifact on. However, he had concealed its pulses of energy, so it seemed ordinary.
Jian Chen's strike directly landed on the armor. A strike as powerful as a supreme Godking's was truly devastating. It immediately caused the armor to dim. The fifth prince coughed up blood as he was blown away.
Jian Chen's eyes were cold, and they shone with killing intent. He pursued like a shadow, flying through the air like he was pressed against the fifth prince. With a flash, he stabbed out a second time.
The fifth prince paled in fright. He was shocked. Only now when he personally faced Jian Chen did he truly understand just how powerful Jian Chen was. He truly understood just how terrifying Jian Chen who possessed battle prowess no less than experts on the Godkings' Throne was. He basically could not fight back at all.
"Explode!" At the critical moment, the fifth prince threw out the sword that he had used for many years and cried out. The supreme quality saint artifact lit up and exploded loudly. Powerful pulses of energy swept out, reducing the swamp to a condition that did not resemble its past self.
The fifth prince borrowed the obstruction created by the explosion of the saint artifact to take out a simple talisman as quickly as he could and fled again.
Jian Chen struck out with churning sword Qi. He cleaved the shockwaves of energy from the supreme quality saint artifact in half and looked at where the fifth prince had vanished coldly.
"Hei Ya, keep looking for me..."
Chapter 2130: A Grand Prime's Belongings
With Hei Ya's assistance, Jian Chen was not afraid of the fifth prince escaping at all. Even if he ran to the ends of the earth, no matter how well he hid, Jian Chen could find him accurately with Hei Ya.
Another few hours later, Jian Chen found the fifth prince on the fifth floor. Due to the previous two times, Jian Chen clearly became much more cautious. He sent out a strand of Profound Sword Qi from very far away.
After ingesting God Tier heavenly resources, he had recovered some of the depleted power of his soul from using the two strands of Profound Sword Qi earlier, so when he used the third strand of Profound Sword Qi, it did not drain all the power of his soul.
The Profound Sword Qi possessed unbelievable speed. It shot through the air so quickly that many supreme Godkings would not be able to react to it. It directly headed towards the fifth prince who hid in an obscure cave.
"Argh!"
Immediately, the fifth prince's painful shriek rang out from the cave. It was like a ghost's cry, extremely chilling.
Even when the fifth prince was at his peak condition, he was unable to dodge or fend off the Profound Sword Qi, let alone now when he was injured. The Profound Sword Qi directly struck his soul.
In the distance, Jian Chen strolled over at a leisurely pace towards the fifth prince. He would cross several hundred meters with each step.
In just a short while, he arrived before the fifth prince. He looked at the fifth prince who collapsed on the ground like mud while taking his last breaths. Jian Chen's eyes were cold, without any pity at all.
Jian Chen understood the power of his Profound Sword Qi better than anyone else. Now that the fifth prince had taken a strand of it, almost eighty percent of his soul had collapsed. He was close to death. Even if he still had the simple talismans, he would not have the power to take them out.
After all, the power of his every strand of his Profound Sword Qi did increase substantially after he refined the third strand. Even supreme Godkings would not be able to take one on.
Although using a strand of Profound Sword Qi on the fifth prince was rather wasteful, the fifth prince had his talismans. If he wanted to flee, Jian Chen would struggle to stop him, so he had no choice but to use the Profound Sword Qi.
Jian Chen swung his sword and cut off the fifth prince's finger, removing the Grand Prime's Space Ring. He sneered, "Fifth prince, you probably never thought you'd end up like this today. Originally, the trip to the Neptunean Divine Palace was your chance to rise up like a dragon. A great future awaited you, but you're about to step into the afterlife now."
The fifth prince laid on the ground powerlessly. His face was terrifyingly pale. However, his dull eyes were still venomous. He gritted his teeth, "Hei Ya. It's Hei Ya, that traitor. I never thought he'd join you. Only Hei Ya has the ability to find me so easily."
"That's right. The Neptunean Divine Palace is huge. If you wanted to hide among the twelve miniatures worlds, it would be almost impossible for me to find you without Hei Ya's assistance. But all you can blame is yourself. You sent Hei Ya and the siblings, Bai He and Bai Qi, to kill me before. If that did not happen, we would not have fallen out, and this would not happen. I would not have the opportunity to make Hei Ya submit to me either."
"Perhaps even if you inherited the Grand Prime's legacy, I would do nothing to you, so you would obtain such a great fortuitous encounter successfully. However, since you've become a sworn enemy of mine, I can't let you obtain the legacy no matter what to prevent endless problems or even my own death. As a result, your fate today was forged by yourself," Jian Chen said slowly.
"Forged by me? Hahahahaha, that's right. My fate today was indeed forged by myself. If it were not for Yun Xin, that bitch, how would I end up like this? It's all because of that bitch that I wanted to kill you. Hahahahaha..." The fifth prince laughed crazily. He began to feel regret. He should have never offended Jian Chen over a woman.
However, now that the matter had developed like this, his regret was useless. His soul had been injured by the Profound Sword Qi, and eighty percent of it had collapsed. The remaining part of his soul also contained a sliver of the Profound Sword Qi's power, so it gradually dispersed as well as the power ate it away. He was unable to stop this.
Jian Chen knew that the fifth prince's soul was about to disperse, so he called out Hei Ya for him to personally witness the fifth prince's death.
"Hei Ya, you traitor..." The fifth prince became filled with hatred when he saw Hei Ya. If it were not for Hei Ya, how would Jian Chen have been able to find him? He might have been able to enter the Grand Prime's statue and complete the inheritance otherwise.
However, all of this was destroyed because of Hei Ya.
"Your majesty, you cannot blame me. I only did this to live. I wish you a safe journey," Hei Ya clasped his fist at the fifth prince sternly as he sent the fifth prince off.
"You..." The fifth prince stared at Hei Ya. His great fury accelerated the dispersion of his soul, leading to its complete collapse. He was reduced to a cold corpse.
"Hei Ya greets master!"
With the fifth prince's death, Hei Ya immediately dropped to one knee before Jian Chen and swore an oath. Jian Chen had truly become his master. He belonged to Jian Chen now.
Jian Chen nodded slightly. He was very happy about being able to make Hei Ya submit to him. Hei Ya's innate talent would be of very great use at crucial times. It could play unimaginable roles.
Afterwards, Jian Chen searched through the fifth prince's Space Ring.
The Space Ring was left behind by a Grand Prime after all. As soon as he checked the items in there, Jian Chen's attention was drawn away by a small pile of multicolored divine crystals.
"These are five-colored divine crystals," Jian Chen's heart beat heavily. He became filled with joy.
Beyond supreme grade divine crystals were colored divine crystals. Colored divine crystals were split into multiple tiers as well, ranging from one-colored to five-colored. Although there were not a lot of these colored divine crystals, only a few thousand of them, they were all five-colored.
Just a few thousand five-colored divine crystals were equivalent to a huge amount of wealth.
Aside from that, there were several god artifacts. One of them was a sword two fingers wide.
Jian Chen's eyes immediately lit up the moment he saw the sword. He became overjoyed.
Ever since his Startling Rainbow sword had broken, he had not found a treasure that suited him. Even the supreme quality saint artifact he used right now did not satisfy completely.
However, the god artifact sword he discovered right now interested him.
"Every god artifact is protected by a layer of formations. However, getting through these formations is nothing difficult for me," Jian Chen thought with a burning itch. God artifacts were weapons of Primordial realm experts. There were very few Godkings who could use god artifacts. Even among the supreme Godkings, there were not a lot of people who could use god artifacts. Even he was not certain whether he could use the god artifact or not even if it ended up in his hands.
"So they were Cosmic Movement Talismans!" Next, Jian Chen took out three simple talismans from the Space Ring. The talismans, unsurprisingly, were what the fifth prince had used to flee. Only three remained now.
"Even some formations cast down by Grand Primes can't stop Cosmic Movement Talismans. They really are extremely powerful." Jian Chen properly realised just how powerful Cosmic Movement Talismans were through the description. He also felt extremely fortunate, fortunate that this was the Neptunean Divine Palace, or the fifth prince would have escaped long ago in the outside world.
The Neptunean Divine Palace was a high quality god artifact after all. It was extraordinarily powerful. Cosmic Movement Talismans were of very high quality, where even some formations from Grand Primes were unable to stop them, but they still could not overcome the limitations of the Neptunean Divine Palace.
Chapter 2131: Master of the Neptunean Mountains
"Three Cosmic Movement Talismans represents three chances of saving my life. As long as I have these, I'll be able to escape even if I encounter Grand Primes," thought Jian Chen. He was overjoyed. The Cosmic Movement Talisman was truly priceless.
Of course, he also knew how terrifying Grand Primes were. Whether he could escape from experts like that would still depend on whether he could activate the Cosmic Movement Talisman in time or not.
Jian Chen continued to search through the Space Ring. He found some heavenly resources and various materials in there. All the materials had reached the God Tier.
The old issue was that there were not a lot of God Tier materials. However, every single one of them was rare and extremely precious.
There were only five heavenly resources. They were all of the God Tier and of frightening grades. Jian Chen estimated them to be the sixth or even the seventh grade at the very least. Extremely turbulent energy pulsed inside.
"There definitely were more heavenly resources, but they were all used up by the owner of the Space Ring, so only five are left now," Jian Chen thought. He saw over twenty jade boxes used to store heavenly resources inside the Space Ring, but they were all empty now.
Moreover, there were quite a few pills bottles as well. They all carried a lingering fragrance, but to Jian Chen's disappointment, they were all empty.
Jian Chen had already guessed that the pills and heavenly resources were completely consumed during the battle between the owner of the Space Ring and the Samsaric Immortal Exalt.
"Method of the Flaming Heavens. This is a cultivation method that can reach Chaotic Prime." At this moment, Jian Chen took out an ancient tome from the Space Ring, and his eyes lit up slightly. The cultivation method just happened to suit people who cultivated the Laws of Fire. Although he was uncertain whether Kai Ya could use it, it definitely suited Hong Lian
"It's a pity that there's only a single cultivation method, and it can only be cultivated to Chaotic Prime. A Grand Prime cultivation method probably can only be obtained from the entire legacy," Jian Chen sighed gently. He felt some pity. Afterwards, he shifted his focus to the god artifact, and his eyes immediately lit up. He sat down and began to recover the power of his soul.
The medicinal effects of the heavenly resource he had ingested earlier had yet to be completely used up. He had just been focusing on covering ground earlier, so his soul recovered rather slowly. Now that he focused on it, the medicinal effects were immediately being used up several times faster such that his soul recovered at a rate several times faster as well.
Two days later, Jian Chen finally replenished all the power of his soul. Afterwards, he immediately began to attack the formation around the god artifact.
The sword that had caught Jian Chen's attention was a low quality god artifact, so the formation around it was not too powerful. Under Jian Chen's full-powered attacks, he used less than half a day to destroy it. He removed the sword from there.
As soon as the god artifact was unleashed, it radiated with great might. It shone brightly as it gave off the energy pulses of a god artifact. Powerful sword Qi shot out as it began to attack Jian Chen.
The sword was an undamaged god artifact, so it possessed a complete artifact spirit. As a result, the artifact began to resist the moment Jian Chen gripped the sword.
"Try again once you reach the Primordial realm. You're dreaming if you want to wield me as a mere Godking."
At the same time, a thought appeared in Jian Chen's head. This was the artifact spirit's voice. It was extremely arrogant and filled with disdain towards Jian Chen. As the voice rang out, the sword Qi from the sword became even more powerful as well. The sword began to struggle in Jian Chen's hand in an attempt to break free.
Jian Chen smiled faintly. His clothes had become cut up by the sword Qi from the sword, but he did not care at all. He gripped the sword in his right hand tightly and immediately sat down, refining it with his best efforts. He wanted to see whether he could gain control over the god artifact.
He knew that once he gained control, his battle prowess would increase by an immeasurable amount.
Immediately, the artifact spirit began to resist with even greater intensity. It shone with resplendent light, which formed a barrage that attacked Jian Chen. It was filled with killing intent. At the same time, a powerful strand of sword Qi wormed into Jian Chen's soul in an attempt to harm his sea of consciousness.
Jian Chen sat as still as a mountain, without wavering at all. More and more bloody marks appeared on his bloody, soaking him in blood soon. Within his soul, he used the Anatta Tower to suppress the very front while his three strands of Profound Sword Qi shone with dazzling light as well, dealing with the attacks in his soul.
As Jian Chen refined the god artifact, the supreme Godkings who had lingered on the eighth floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace finally the received news that Jian Chen had appeared. It immediately shocked them all.
"What did you say? Although Jian Chen fell into the lava, he survived and subsequently appeared on the twelfth floor? How is that possible..."
"The lava is so terrifying, so how did he survive..."
At the same time, Ming Dong, who sat in the air, suddenly opened his eyes. Evident excitement and joy filled his face, and without any hesitation, he immediately flew towards the ninth floor.
Behind him, the five divine generals followed silently. They watched over him with dedication, without leaving his side at all.
A great group of Godkings appeared outside of the Neptunean Mountains on the ninth floor today. Just the supreme Godkings among them numbered several hundred.
The Godkings had peered into the past or used various other secret methods to find Jian Chen's whereabouts. In the end, they had followed him to the Neptunean Mountains.
"Everyone, may I ask why you've come to my Neptunean Mountains in such a great horde? My mountains don't have enough dwellings to accompany you all." At this moment, Chanlong appeared before them silently. He smiled with a clasped fist.
The supreme Godkings all came to a halt as they stared at Chanlong. They became both surprised and uncertain because none of them had discovered how Chanlong had appeared there. He did it without creating any disturbances at all.
"May I ask who you are and why you block our way?" A supreme Godking growled with a scowl on his face.
"I am Chanlong. The Neptunean Mountains are my territory. If you want to enter the Neptunean Mountains, you naturally need my permission," Chanlong said leisurely. He did seem slightly arrogant.
"What? Did you just say that the Neptunean Mountains are your territory? Hahahaha..." Many supreme Godkings could not help but burst into laughter when they heard Chanlong's words.
Not only was everyone familiar with the Neptunean Mountains, but they knew all about it. There was a formation cast down by a Grand Exalt in the Neptunean Mountains, and when the Daoist Sect of Neptunea still existed, the Neptunean Mountains was their holy land. It was extremely renowned. Cultivation within the Neptunean Mountains would always be easier, and it would have extremely evident effects when overcoming bottlenecks. Basically every time the Neptunean Divine Palace opened, there would be people who would come here specially to cultivate, comprehend laws, breakthrough bottlenecks, and so on.
However, no matter how powerful someone was, including supreme Godkings, they would not be bold enough to claim this place as their own territory.
Yet, a mere mid Godking had spoken such arrogant words, claiming that he was the master of the Neptunean Mountains. How could everyone not laugh at this?
Chapter 2132: Mo Cheng's Methods
"Hahaha, who is this scrawny old man? He actually dares to say that the Neptunean Mountains are his territory. Has he hit his head, or is there something wrong with his head?"
"Where did this scrawny old man come from? He's only a mid Godking, yet he claims to be the master of the Neptunean Mountains. And not just that, he dares to block our way as well."
"Old man, do you think you're Qing Shan, the person who ranks first on the Godkings' Throne? Even if Qing Shan was here, he would not dare to claim the Neptunean Mountains for himself."
The many supreme Godkings laughed out furiously. Every single one of them looked at Chanlong like they were looking at an idiot.
At the same time, over a hundred figures hovered in the sky above the Neptunean Mountains. They steadily made their way over.
These people had originally been cultivating in the Neptunean Mountains. They wanted to borrow the unique environment to comprehend laws so that they could break through bottlenecks and so on. As a result, they did not participate in any of the fights in the Neptunean Divine Palace. However, when they saw that so many supreme Godkings had come to the Neptunean Mountains, they all came out to check out why because they were curious.
There were only a few supreme Godkings from the Godkings' Throne out of all of them. Most of them were regular Godkings, so they did not get too close and observed from very far away.
"Scrawny old man, since you say that this is your territory, are those people your followers or attendants?" A supreme Godking scoffed.
"Stop wasting your time with him. Hunting down Jian Chen is the priority. Kill all those who stand in the way," a vicious-looking supreme Godking called out and directly attacked Chanlong. He hurled out a punch that whistled towards Chanlong's head without any hesitation.
This supreme Godking was very powerful. Just the power of his punch alone filled many supreme Godkings with angst.
Chanlong's expression did not change when the supreme Godking attacked. He said leisurely, "Stop. Don't waste your efforts. No one can harm me at all in my territory."
No one took Chanlong seriously, but in the next moment, they all became dumbstruck. The punch from the supreme Godking had actually stopped before Chanlong for real.
"I'll ignore the offence this time, but I hope a second time doesn't happen. Get out of the territory of the Neptunean Mountains," Chanlong said calmly. His indifferent voice was filled with an undeniable sense of authority.
Most importantly, the supreme Godking who had attacked him actually flew outwards with that. However, his posture was extremely strange. As if he had been cursed, he maintained the same punching posture the entire time.
Only when he flew out of the Neptunean Mountains did the supreme Godking finally regain control over his body. However, he was unable to maintain his composure anymore. He stared at Chanlong in shock as his heart churned. He cried out, "W- who are you?"
Everyone in the surroundings clearly saw what had happened to him, so they immediately fell silent. The people who scoffed and sneered at Chanlong could not help but close their mouths as shock, surprise as well as some confusion and perplexion filled their faces.
Clearly, they knew that the supreme Godking had backed out of the Neptunean Mountains obediently because of Chanlong. However, they had no idea how Chanlong did that or what methods he used to achieve that.
"H- how is this possible? H- h- he can actually control the Grand Exalt's formation in the Neptunean Mountains. T- this is impossible," at this moment, a supreme Godking who had some accomplishments in formations cried out. His eyes almost popped out as he seemed like he had just seen a ghost.
Immediately, there was a chain reaction. After learning that Chanlong could actually control the Grand Exalt's formation, all the supreme Godkings gathered there, including the Godkings who had always been cultivating in the Neptunean Mountains, changed in expression drastically. They were filled with shock.
Afterwards, the supreme Godkings who were ready to enter the Neptunean Mountains and hunt down Jian Chen all backed away several kilometres, moving far away from the boundary of the Neptunean Mountains. Even the people who had been cultivating in the mountains no longer dared to stay. They all left the Neptunean Mountains as quickly as they could in shock as if they were fleeing for their lives.
This was because they all understood that if the Grand Exalt's formation in the Neptunean Mountains was really under someone's control, their lives would be in his hands at all times if they stayed in there. They would have no control over their very lives.
"Sir, are you trying to protect Jian Chen? You need to understand that if you try something like that, you'll become an enemy of all of us. Unless you plan on staying in the Neptunean Mountains forever, any one of us can kill you easily," a supreme Godking called out from the crowd. They finally began to treat Chanlong seriously.
Chanlong did not care about their threats. He said, "If Jian Chen was in the Neptunean Mountains, I would indeed protect him, but he's not here, unfortunately." As he said that, Chanlong's gaze became confused for a split second. Jian Chen's figure appeared in his head. Although his face was extremely familiar, it seemed rather distant at the same time.
"Then do you know where Jian Chen went?" A supreme Godking asked.
"I can find Jian Chen!"
A voice filled with confidence rang out from behind as soon as the supreme Godking asked his question.
The supreme Overgod who ranked first on the Overgods' Plaque, Mo Cheng, flew over gradually from behind.
"Young master, why have you come?" Cang Ying's face changed slightly when Mo Cheng arrived. Immediately, he flew out of the crowd, but he stared at Mo Cheng in surprise soon afterwards. He asked, "Young master, you've broken through successfully?"
"That's right. I already made it far enough as an Overgod. It was time for me to break through," Mo Cheng nodded at Cang Ying. Afterwards, he stared at the supreme Godkings gathered around, and he showed no fear at all. He said steadily, without any arrogance or attempt to curry up to them, "I engaged in an intense battle against Jian Chen in the past, and I managed to obtain a droplet of his blood back then. The blood might be useless in the hands of others, unable to be used at all, but in my hands, I can use a secret technique to find him."
"Hahaha, truly the successor of the Azure Peng King. You really have inherited some of the Azure Peng King's technique. Mo Cheng, use the secret technique immediately and find Jian Chen," a black-robed old man laughed aloud. Even though Mo Cheng was only an early Godking, no one dared to underestimate him.
Not only had Mo Cheng ranked first on the Overgods' Plaque, making him possess great potential and making it very likely for him to make it into the top ten of the Godkings' Throne in the future, but he was also the Azure Peng King's disciple. His status was so great that it surpassed most of the supreme Godkings here
Chapter 2133: The Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways
Afterwards, Mo Cheng took out the droplet of chaotic blood he had obtained from Jian Chen. Immediately, he cast a secret technique. He used the blood as a medium to find Jian Chen's whereabouts.
As Mo Cheng used the secret technique, supreme Godkings immediately came to watch over him. Clearly, they wanted to befriend him.
"I've found him." Very soon, Mo Cheng opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp, and with a single movement, he shot off into the distance.
"Ming Dong, since you're Jian Chen's sworn brother, you will definitely appear when Jian Chen is encircled. Hmph, I'll use everyone's power to kill you this time. I'll make you pay a heavy price for your arrogance."
"So what if you're a supreme Godking? In the Saints' World, plenty of supreme Godkings end up dead. We had no grievances, but I must kill you because you hunted down my protector. You hunted down my master's attendant, a member of our Azure Peng Lineage. We can't just be harrassed like that..." Mo Cheng thought as heavy killing intent built up within him.
Many supreme Godkings followed Mo Cheng. They vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
After their departure, Audriana appeared several thousand kilometres away. She stared at the supreme Godkings who had hurried off, and she was extremely stern. After a moment of silence, she immediately began to tail them.
Chanlong sat in the sky all by himself in the Neptunean Mountains. He looked at the empty mountains and the group of supreme Godkings who had headed off, and he sunk into his thoughts.
"This time, several hundred supreme Godkings have set off. If they really find where Jian Chen is, Jian Chen should be done for. In reality, I do possess the power to trap all those supreme Godkings through the power of the Neptunean Mountains, but why didn't I do that?" Chanlong murmured to himself as he became confused.
"It looks like I still haven't accepted Jian Chen as a friend from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps all those years I spent with him was all because of Kai Ya. Maybe when I assisted him despite running the risk of offending a vice-leader of the Empyrean Demon Cult was because of Kai Ya as well."
"Is Kai Ya really this important to me? Why would I change my behaviour from before for her? I clearly don't feel any attraction for the opposite sex towards her," Chanlong murmured to himself. In all these years, he had experienced this doubt many times, but no matter how he pondered about it, he was unable to find the answer.
"Old man Chanlong, if I've guessed correctly, we should have very great ties with Kai Ya," at this moment, the soul trapped in the formations banners wormed out from Chanlong's Space Ring and said seriously from beside Chalong in the form of a large snake.
"Didn't you say you can peer into the heavenly secrets and forecast the future? Can you tell what's up with my relationship with Kai Ya?" Chanlong asked.
"I can indeed peer into the heavenly secrets and forecast the future, but heavenly secrets do vary in significance. My ability to forecast the future is very particular. I can see through petty matters with just a single thought, but if they tie into significant matters, even those Grand Primes probably won't be able to forecast anything, let alone me. For example, Kai Ya has been shrouded in mist the entire time. Even if I was a hundred times more powerful, I would not be able to see through her."
"I can't see through anything relating to Jian Chen either. It seems like he's even more complex than Kai Ya. However, my gut is telling me that we can't get too close to Jian Chen. Don't ask me why because I don't know either."
...
In a mountain range on the fifth floor, powerful sword intent enveloped the entire place while sharp sword Qi shot out with resplendent light. It crisscrossed the mountains, leaving behind sword slashes.
From afar, the mountains seemed to have become a sea of sword Qi, where they existed everywhere. It had become a forbidden place that many Godkings did not dare to set foot in.
At this moment, a person covered in blood sat within an obscure cave. He held a sword as he refined it with everything he had.
Unsurprisingly, this person was Jian Chen.
The artifact spirit of the god artifact refused to be controlled by Jian Chen, who was only a Godking, so it resisted with everything it had.
However, the resistance finally became weaker and weaker as time went on. In the end, Jian Chen bellowed out, and the Chaotic Force within him rampaged and completely suppressed the sword. The sword stopped resisting.
"You may have defeated me, but you can't fully wield me without reaching the Primordial realm," the artifact spirit said reluctantly. The power it had used to resist began to shrink back, gathering in the tip of the sword.
Jian Chen used this as an opportunity to take over the sword. Chaotic Force was poured into the god artifact, taking up two-thirds of the entire sword in the end. The last third was controlled by the artifact spirit.
"There's no need for me to reach the Primordial realm. I only need to make some more progress with my cultivation, and I can easily refine you," Jian Chen smiled faintly. Making the sword submit to him really was not easy. He would not have been able to control the god artifact if it were not for his endless supply of Chaotic Force that depleted extremely gradually and his tough Chaotic Body that could endure the sword Qi attacks.
However, even after all that, he only managed to suppress the artifact spirit of the god artifact, only gaining partial control over it. He needed to make some more progress with his cultivation and gain the recognition of the artifact spirit if he wanted complete control.
"So you're called the Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways. That's not a bad name," Jian Chen was elated. After refining the god artifact, he learnt some information about it.
The Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways was a low quality god artifact. It was forged from nine stars from outer space. It possessed the mysteries of the world and a sliver of the power of the heavenly ways, which was why it was called the Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways.
"It is a god artifact after all. With my current abilities, I can only unleash forty percent of the sword's power. However, even if it's just forty percent, I'm confident that I can kill the eight supreme Godkings from earlier."
"And my Chaotic Force gets consumed at a gradual rate, so I can use the god artifact as much as I wish without having to worry about running out of power like regular Godkings. As a result, the assistance that this god artifact has brought me is quite significant."
For a moment, Jian Chen's heart settled down with the god artifact in his hand. He felt like he could sweep through the world with invincible prowess.
"Moreover, there are a few extremely high grade heavenly resources in the Grand Prime's Space Ring. They aren't for recovery and are instead more like items that can increase cultivation. If I ingest them, my chaotic neidan will grow quite a lot in size. I'll be one step closer to the thirteenth layer," Jian Chen thought.
However, at this moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he turned his head to look outside the cave.
"Jian Chen, you really are hiding here. You've actually come to the fifth floor of the Neptunean Divine Palace. It really was quite difficult for me to find you," at this moment, a cold voice rang out from the surroundings.
"Mo Cheng!" Jian Chen squinted his eyes when he heard this familiar voice. A sharp, cold light flashed through his eyes as he became slightly surprised.
Chapter 2134: A Reunion of Brothers
Several hundred supreme Godkings hovered outside the cave. They surrounded the mountain that Jian Chen resided in. Every single one of them radiated with extremely powerful presences. The presences of some people who ranked towards the top were truly earthshaking, causing the clouds in the surroundings to churn.
They were so powerful that they had basically surpassed Godkings, directly rivalling Primordial realm experts.
To no surprise, Mo Cheng was among them as well. Even though he was the weakest among all of the Godkings present, none of the supreme Godkings dared to dismiss his existence.
Below, Jian Chen slowly made his way out of the cave with the Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways he had just refined. He was very composed.
"Mo Cheng, you've surprised me quite a lot by working with all these people. Do you think that you have the right to compete for the Neptunean Divine Palace against all these people just because you've become a Godking?" Jian Chen stared at Mo Cheng coldly as he said indifferently.
Mo Cheng's expression did not change at all, "The Neptunean Divine Palace is indeed precious, but I don't have much interest in it. The reason why I've come for you is not for this place but for revenge."
"Revenge? Have you grown to hate me because of the shame you suffered from the defeat at my hands?" Jian Chen asked.
Mo Cheng shook his head. He said with a natural sense of arrogance, "It was my utter defeat to you back then, and I admit it. I do not resent you at all. The only person you can blame is your friend Ming Dong for offending a person of our Azure Peng lineage."
"I heard that you were sworn friends with Ming Dong, so I thought that once you were in danger, Ming Dong would definitely come to save you. I've come specially to kill Ming Dong." Mo Cheng was cold. He hid nothing and directly stated his intentions.
Jian Chen's expression changed slightly when he heard that. He did not fear these people. Even if he could not defeat them, he could flee using the Cosmic Movement Talisman. However, he worried for Ming Dong.
He understood Ming Dong. Once Ming Dong learnt that Jian Chen was in danger, he would stand with him without any hesitation to become the opponent of several hundred supreme Godkings.
Although he knew Ming Dong was very powerful right now, even Audriana and Shui Yunlan were unable to stop all the supreme Godkings before him, let alone Ming Dong.
At this moment, Jian Chen could not help but worry for Ming Dong secretly.
"Hahahaha, even a mere early Godking wants to kill me. It looks like some people still think I'm easy to harass." At this moment, a bold voice rang out from the distance. It was tremendously loud, booming through the surroundings. The sound wave caused the mountains to tremble.
With it, six figures shot over with terrifying speed. They arrived within the encirclement of the several hundred supreme Godkings a while later.
To no surprise, they were Ming Dong and the five divine generals.
"Hahaha, I've finally found you, brother." As soon as he arrived, Ming Dong looked at Jian Chen. His face was filled with joy as he went up to hug him tightly.
"Ming Dong, you shouldn't have come," Jian Chen said bitterly. He was calmer compared to Ming Dong's excited state.
The two of them had been separated for many years, and finally, they were reunited in another world. It was a wondrous occasion, and they should have had a lot of things to talk about, but in the current situation and circumstance, Jian Chen struggled to embrace him with positive emotions.
"Why shouldn't I have come? They're just Godkings. Even if you encounter Infinite Primes, Chaotic Primes, or even Grand Primes, I still won't back away. I'll still stand with you and fight with you without any hesitation," Ming Dong said boldly. Then he looked at the several hundred supreme Godkings in the surroundings and said coldly, "Listen up. Jian Chen is my sworn brother. If you want to become Jian Chen's enemy, then you're becoming my enemy as well."
With that, the expressions of a few supreme Godkings who had a rough idea of Ming Dong's identity all changed. They began to hesitate.
However, there were many more people who did not know about Ming Dong's origins. They guessed that his background was probably very powerful, but were there any of them present who were not complicated like that as well?
As a result, they completely dismissed Ming Dong's threat without taking it seriously at all.
"Ming Dong, we can ignore what you did on the eighth floor, but this ties into the ownership of the Neptunean Divine Palace, a high quality god artifact, right now. You standing forward firmly will only cause trouble for yourself."
"Jian Chen, hand over the girl, and we'll spare you..."
"That person who gained the recognition of the statue on the twelfth floor also died to your hands. Jian Chen, hand over the Space Ring, and we won't make things difficult for you at all..."
"And that god artifact in your hands. You probably got it from there as well, so hand it over too..."
Many supreme Godkings called out in the surroundings. Clearly, Ming Dong's threat had not been effective.
"It's you. How dare you show up?" Suddenly, a furious call rang out. Immediately, killing intent pervaded the region. Many supreme Godkings unleashed a heavy, murderous presence.
Audriana flew over steadily.
Her arrival immediately attracted the glares of many supreme Godkings.
"She is with that person who uses the Laws of Ice. In order to stop us from chasing Jian Chen, that person with the Laws of Ice injured many of us, so we can't spare this woman."
"Yeah, we can't let her go no matter what..."
Many supreme Godkings called out furiously. They were filled with resentment.
However, Audriana arrived beside Jian Chen calmly and said, "I am Audriana, and I come from the God clan. I hope you can forgive me for any offence I've caused earlier."
"What? The God clan..."
The expressions of all the supreme Godkings present changed when they heard her mention the God clan. Even the supreme Godkings who had shouted out how they wanted to kill Audriana shut their mouths obediently.
The God clan used to be the greatest clan in the Saints' World. It was the undisputed most powerful organisation in the Saints' World, where they dominated and struck fear throughout an entire world. No one dared to offend them.
Even though the War God of the God clan was dead now, causing their strength to decrease drastically, they were still a great organisation that stood at the very peak of the Saints' World. Their heritage ran unbelievably deep.
"Jian Chen is the friend of our esteemed War God. I have left the God clan this time under the War God's orders to find Jian Chen. Everyone, if you become enemies with Jian Chen. please consider the consequences carefully," Audriana clasped her hands.
Everyone present was surprised when they heard that. They all looked at Jian Chen with mixed emotions. There was admiration, envy, and resentment.
"It doesn't matter how much you say. We've only come for the girl. If you hand over the girl, nothing will happen naturally. Even if Jian Chen has the support of the God clan, he won't be able to leave here otherwise," an arrogant young man with a striking appearance stood forwards and said coldly. He did not fear the God clan at all.
After that, the young man stared at Audriana coldly. He let out an earthshaking presence and said coldly, "I am Nan Shangyun, and I come from the Heaven-splitting clan. Does your God clan plan on falling out with our Heaven-splitting clan over a mere Godking?"
Everyone was shocked once again. The Heaven-splitting clan was one of the peak clans that could strike fear across the entire Saints' World. In particular, ever since the War God of the God clan died, the Heaven-splitting clan seemed to surpass the God clan slightly.
Chapter 2135: Crippling Nan Shangyun
"Over three million years ago, your Heaven-splitting clan was only a small clan in the eyes of our God clan. It was nothing significant in the Saints' World. Do you think you can stand up to our God clan now that you have your Heaven-splitting ancestor? Do you think that you can stand against our supreme War God?" Audriana growled as she glared at him.
"The past is the past, and now is now. The Heaven-splitting clan was indeed nothing in the eyes of the great clans of the Saints' World in the past, but now, the ancestor of our Heaven-splitting clan is one of the most powerful people below Grand Exalt. With him alone, we can stand up to your God clan. The current God clan is no longer the God clan of the past."
"As for your War God, he's far too weak right now. It'll take him quite some time before he fully matures. By then, our ancestor might have broken through the final bottleneck and earned the title of Grand Exalt for himself. Would we still have to fear your God clan anymore?" Nan Shangyun said arrogantly. The current Heaven-splitting clan did possess the right to look down on everything.
Audriana's face sank. She knew that Nan Shangyun was telling the truth. The ancestor of the Heaven-splitting clan had unprecedented talent. Among all the people who could take the final step and gain the title of Grand Exalt in the current Saints' World, the Heaven-splitting ancestor was definitely one of them.
"Hahaha, Nan Shangyun, you treat yourself like a big deal. Your Heaven-splitting clan might not be weak, but what has it got to do with you? Do you really think your Heaven-splitting clan is willing to go to war against the famed God clan for a mere Godking like you? Like I said, you treat yourself like a big deal. Are you really great enough for your clan to do that?" At this moment, Ming Dong who stood beside Jian Chen spoke out. He looked at Nan Shangyun like he was looking at a joke as he scoffed.
"Ming Dong, are you looking to die?" Nan Shangyun glared at Ming Dong. His face darkened, and killing intent shone in his eyes.
Ming Dong laughed aloud. He directly drew a god artifact and put on god artifact armor before charging towards Nan Shangyun aggressively. He sneered, "The person who is looking to die is you. Today, I'll cripple you before everyone. I'd like to see whether your Heaven-splitting clan really is as great as you describe it to be and whether they'd come to me looking for revenge."
Ming Dong used his full strength right from the start. Pure Laws of Destruction condensed on the god artifact as he produced a strand of sword Qi that was hundreds of meters long. It possessed the pressure of a God Tier Battle Skill as it chopped towards Nan Shangyun mercilessly.
"Impudent. I won't let you leave the Neptunean Divine Palace alive today just because of what you said," Nan Shangyun called out coldly. He held a violet and golden hammer. As he swung it, it pulsed with the energy of a god artifact.
Nan Shangyun comprehended the Laws of Strength. That swing was enough to split the sky and ground. The terrifying power that gathered on the hammer made space ripple.
In the sky, a thunderous boom rang out. Nan Shangyun was extremely powerful, where he was extremely close to the top ten on the Godkings' Throne. He managed to suppress Ming Dong right from the beginning.
"The Ways are in Heaven..." At this moment, Ming Dong bellowed out. He extended a finger at the sky and a finger at the ground as a mysterious power radiated from him.
"And I Stand in the World..." In the next moment, Ming Dong's hands shifted. They moved along a wondrous and profound trajectory as they resonated and matched with the laws of the world. He shone with a hazy light.
Nan Shangyun's eyes narrowed as he looked at Ming Dong with some seriousness. When Ming Dong began casting the mysterious secret technique, he became filled with an intense sense of unease.
Along with it was dread that originated from the depths of his soul.
It was as if the secret technique Ming Dong was casting right now was extremely impressive, possessing unfathomable power.
Nan Shangyun gritted his teeth and no longer held back. His hammer became wrapped with the Laws of Strength, and he struck out with a God Tier Battle Skill in an attempt to disrupt Ming Dong's secret technique.
"For I am the Heavenly Ways..."
It was also at this moment that Ming Dong suddenly bellowed out. It was thunderous and deafening. A profound, mysterious power shot out from his body and enveloped Nan Shangyun.
Nan Shangyun's face suddenly changed. Under the mysterious power, he actually lost all sense of his cultivation. He could not feel his comprehension of laws as if he had been forcefully struck back to being a mortal by someone at that moment, becoming the most ordinary mortal out there.
Even the low quality god artifact in his hand was affected as well. It stopped shining, and the God Tier Battle Skill he was about to cast collapsed and completely dispersed.
"W- what is this secret technique?" Nan Shangyun cried out. He was panic-stricken as great fear filled his face.
But in the next moment, Nan Shangyun emitted a chilling cry. The mysterious power invaded his soul and body, filling his entire body with excruciating pain.
His soul rapidly dispersed and so did his cultivation under the invasion of the mysterious power.
This form of dispersing was permanent. It would be very difficult to undo. It directly led to a downfall of his cultivation and comprehension of laws.
In under ten seconds, the mysterious power around Ming Dong vanished and so did the light that enshrouded him, revealing Ming Dong's pale face.
Before him was the haggard Nan Shangyun. His eyes were blank as disbelief and shock filled his face, along with deep fear.
He could sense his soul and cultivation once again now. However, not even a hundredth of his cultivation remained. It had dropped to the level between the Origin realm and deity while his peak Godking soul also seemed to be ripped apart, with only a tiny fragment left behind. It had fallen to early Deity.
This was a permanent loss and could not be undone. He could only cultivate slowly if he wanted to recover, and due to the injuries to his soul, it would be difficult for him to recover to his peak condition even if he cultivated again.
It could be said that Nan Shangyun of the Heaven-splitting clan had been completely crippled after falling to such a level.
"Remember, my name is Ming Dong. Don't forget to get your clansmen to come and take revenge," Ming Dong said weakly with a pale face before directly punting Nan Shangyun far away.
The surroundings became deathly silent. Everyone stared at the haggard, weakened Nan Shangyyun blankly as their hearts churned in shock.
Ming Dong's secretly technique had forcefully reduced a peak Godking to a Deity. They had never seen or heard of such a strange and terrifying secret technique.
To their shock, Nan Shangyun had actually been crippled before everyone by Ming Dong, just like he had said he would do.
Nan Shangyun was a member of the Heaven-splitting clan!
The current Heaven-splitting clan was as prominent as the midday sun. Across the entire Saints' World, there were basically no organisations that dared to stand up to the Heaven-splitting clan now, yet Ming Dong was utterly fearless.
"It's the Authority of the Grand Exalt. How does he know the Authority of the Grand Exalt?" Nearby, Audriana stared at Ming Dong with mixed feelings as her heart churned.
"How is this possible? How does Ming Dong know the Authority of the Grand Exalt? Grasping this art requires the recognition of a Grand Exalt, and they must pass it onto them personally. However, all people who know this art, from a certain sense, are the Grand Exalt's successor because whenever a Grand Exalt passes this onto someone, they will suffer from a certain level of deterioration," several kilometres away, the empty space actually trembled; Shui Yunlan, who was hidden there, voiced her shock.
Out of the several hundred supreme Godkings present, only Audriana and Shui Yunlan knew what Ming Dong's secret technique was. This was because one of them came from the God clan, while the other came from the Ice Goddess Hall. They were both peak organisations that possessed Grand Exalts in the past, so they had records of this.
However, something happened at this moment. A huge hand appeared out of nowhere above Jian Chen's head and reached towards him with golden light and a suffocating pressure.
Someone had secretly taken action. They wanted to take Jian Chen away while everyone else was still distracted.
Chapter 2136: Enemies Everywhere
Jian Chen's heart shivered as he became extremely stern. When the huge, golden hand reached over, his body suddenly sank. He felt like the space around him had frozen at that moment.
The owner of the huge, golden hand was extremely powerful. At that moment, Jian Chen truly felt like he was suffocating.
However, he did not become flustered. Now that he had a god artifact, his battle prowess had increased significantly. Even though he was not as great as his opponent, he would not be overwhelmed to the point where he could not even fight back.
His eyes shone brightly and sharply like swords. Chaotic Force rampaged wildly within his body like a raging river, and all of it poured into the Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways. It immediately caused the sword to become blinding, seemingly shining with resplendent starlight. Four gigantic stars seemed to appear.
Jian Chen pointed the sword at the sky, and immediately, the unmatched might of a god artifact poured out from the Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways. With the power of stars, collided with the huge golden hand.
The collision between the two was deafening. It was like the collision of two worlds, kicking up powerful streams of energy.
Jian Chen extended his sword towards the sky as he stood strong with a great presence. He seemed like an invincible god of war.
The ground beneath Jian Chen began to crack. His body sank slightly, where his feet had already sunken into the ground, only stopping up to his knees.
The huge, golden hand above his head remained locked against Jian Chen's Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways for a while with terrifying power before dispersing.
Like a set of dominos, the sneak attack from the golden hand formally begun a great, intense battle.
Immediately, the supreme Godkings gathered there all struck out. Without any exception, they all looked at Jian Chen.
A gleam of light flashed through Jian Chen's eyes. He stared at the hand that had already dispersed, and his face was filled with surprise, doubt, and some joy.
He could feel the presence of a familiar power in the golden hand that had just attacked him. This presence was extremely similar to the Golden Divine Dragon Rui Jin.
"Whoever harms my brother will become an enemy of mine!" Ming Dong bellowed out furiously as killing intent surged into the air. He ingested a God Tier healing pill and struck out with his full strength, standing before Jian Chen.
However, Ming Dong had depleted far too much energy from using the Authority of the Grand Exalt earlier. He had paid a certain price himself, so he was nowhere close to his peak condition. It was impossible for him to stop so many supreme Godkings.
However, the supreme Godkings did not dare to attack Ming Dong viciously because they had all seen Ming Dong's savagery. Everyone took him seriously. He did not even fear the Heaven-splitting clan, so his confidence naturally struck fear in many people.
As for the few supreme Godkings who did know Ming Dong's identity, they all avoided Ming Dong from afar as they charged towards Jian Chen. They did not want to have a brush with him at all.
"Ming Dong, it doesn't matter what identity or background you have. I will make you feel regret today. The people of the Azure Peng lineage can't just be offended so easily, even if it's only an attendant." At the same time, killing intent rose up in Mo Cheng's eyes. He called out, "Do it!"
"Young master Mo Cheng, Ming Dong's origins are probably quite significant. Do you really want to do this?" A few supreme Godkings hesitated nearby.
They came from various clans and organisations in the Saints' World. Mo Cheng had secretly contacted them, as he wanted to use them to kill Ming Dong.
Although the supreme Godkings knew that Ming Dong's origins were extraordinary, they did not think it would be overly terrifying. Once they considered how Mo Cheng was the Azure Peng King's disciple and how his personal talent and future potential was unlimited, they agreed to Mo Cheng's suggestion firmly in an attempt to establish good ties with Mo Cheng early on.
They hesitated slightly now because they had seen how Ming Dong did not fear the Heaven-splitting clan, which made them reevaluate Ming Dong's background.
"Go on ahead!" Ming Dong called out coldly.
The supreme Godkings looked at one another, and all of them gritted their teeth. They struck out decisively, killing their way towards Ming Dong.
"Don't you dare!"
The five divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng became furious. Before the supreme Godkings could approach Ming Dong, they blocked them and engaged in an intense battle.
After seeing his helpers being stopped, a vicious gleam of light flashed through Mo Chen's eyes. He took action personally, wielding a sword with the Laws of the Sword and Destruction simultaneously, directly killing his way towards Ming Dong.
He could tell that Ming Dong was extremely frail right now. His battle prowess was nowhere close to his peak, so Mo Cheng was confident he could put up a fight.
After all, Mo Cheng was no regular Godking. When he was still an Overgod, he could kill Godkings, let alone now.
"Young master, allow me to assist you!" Cang Ying flew over from afar. Azure light flickered on him, and he turned into an azure peng as he charged towards Ming Dong with great speed.
"You want to kill me with just yourselves?" Ming Dong snorted coldly. His face darkened as killing intent surged towards the sky. The Laws of Destruction erupted as he slashed out with his god artifact, knocking Mo Cheng far away and causing him to vomit blood.
At the same time, Ming Dong's body shook. Cang Ying's hands turned into claws as he swung them towards Ming Dong's god artifact armor with azure light.
With the protection of a god artifact, Cang Ying's strike failed to cause any real harm. Ming Dong responded with a slash, shooting through the air as a black streak of light with the might of a God Tier battle skill. He cut Cang Ying in half along the waist.
With Ming Dong attacked, the five divine generals became furious. Killing intent rose up, and they became enveloped by a blinding light. Five sets of impressive, golden armor that flickered with light appeared on them, covering their bodies completely. Only their eyes were left revealed. They used their full strength to force back their opponents, and all of them returned to Ming Dong's side in a flash with no intentions of continuing the battle. They used their bodies to forge a tough fortress around Ming Dong to protect him.
"T- that's..."
"That's the armor specially made for divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng. Y- you're actually..."
...
In the surroundings, the supreme Godkings who had clashed with the five divine generals earlier all widened their eyes as they stared at the golden armor firmly. Their faces were filled with shock as they all backed away, no longer willing to keep fighting.
"They're actually divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng. H- how is this possible..."
"Why have the divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng come to the Neptunean Divine Palace? Heavens, then what's Ming Dong's identity? Why has he been protected by the divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng the entire time..."
...
A series of gasps rang out in the surroundings. At that moment, many people showed shock and disbelief. At the same time, they came to a realisation; no wonder Ming Dong was so savage, where he did not even fear the Heaven-splitting clan. As it turned out, he came from the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng.
"Y- you..." Cang Ying's face had completely paled now. It was filled with fear. He had clearly been frightened by the revelation of the five divine generals' identities.
A tree of life appeared in the centre of the encirclement. Audriana struck out as soon as she could to block the attacks from Jian Chen's surroundings.
Jian Chen showed no weakness. Even though enemies were everywhere, his battle intent still surged. As Chaotic Force poured endlessly into his Nine Star Sword of Heavenly Ways, he engaged in battle against the many supreme Godkings.
However, with just the two of them, it was impossible to fend off so many supreme Godkings. At that moment, both Audriana and Jian Chen were firmly suppressed. They had been forced on the defensive, as they completely lost the upper hand.
As the target of everyone's attacks, Jian Chen was already covered in wounds and soaked in blood now.
Chapter 2137: A Battle Between Supreme Godkings
"Jian Chen, hand over the girl, and we won't become your enemies..."
"Jian Chen, you can't keep her. Just hand over the girl. For the sake of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng, we won't do anything to you if you do that..."
A few supreme Godkings called out in the surroundings. None of them wanted to fall out with the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng just because of Jian Chen. However, they wanted to get the girl as well, so they could not just give up like this.
At this moment, a simple cauldron flew over. It shone with a bronze light as it arrived above Jian Chen's head. It emitted a suction in an attempt to swallow Jian Chen.
A gleam of light flashed through Jian Chen's eyes when he saw the cauldron. He did not resist at all, allowing the cauldron to swallow him up.
The cauldron immediately fled after sucking up Jian Chen.
However, the surroundings supreme Godkings all bellowed out furiously. Terrifying attacks rained down on the cauldron.
With a vicious series of booms, the cauldron dimmed. It was knocked around in the air by the supreme Godkings around it like a ball. Some supreme Godkings drew their god artifacts and struck the cauldron with terrifying power, producing thunderous booms.
The cauldron was a god artifact and not something that Godkings could destroy. It remained undamaged after being hit by so many attacks, but the controller of the cauldron was unable to unleash its full power. In the end, the cauldron was knocked far away. It smashed through countless mountains and kicked rocks and dust into the air.
As Jian Chen had been swallowed by the cauldron, the cauldron became the target of all the Godkings. The cauldron had completely dimmed from all the attacks. It had basically drained all of its power to escape. The several hundred supreme Godkings in the surroundings all shot over with lightning speed.
Audriana took action as well. She hovered in the air as her life force churned. A gigantic tree thousands of meters tall appeared as countless branches shot out with emerald-green light. They shot over the heads of the supreme Godkings towards the cauldron.
Powerful energy with Godking level laws shook up the space. Over a dozen supreme Godkings struck out firmly, severing all the branches that reached towards the cauldron.
"Do you plan on becoming the enemy of the God clan just like the Heaven-splitting clan? Jian Chen is someone that the supreme War God ordered to protect," Audriana growled. Her eyes were cold, and she was clearly angered.
"We naturally do not dare to become enemies of the God clan. We only want the girl. In reality, a battle like this in the eyes of the seniors is just a small fight among children. Why would it affect significant matters like the relationship between two clans?" A supreme Godking replied. Although he feared the God clan, he still did not give up on the Neptunean Divine Palace.
At this moment, a supreme Godking arrived before the cauldron. He extended a hand towards the cauldron as his eyes were filled with desire and excitement.
However, as soon as he moved, all the supreme Godkings in the surroundings attacked him at the same time.
In just a split second, the rather powerful supreme Godking who had approached the cauldron was heavily injured. He was at death's door as he directly fell out of the sky.
"Artifact spirit, quick, take Jian Chen and leave here. Fly away as quickly as possible." At the same time, a skinny old man was burning with anxiety as he communicated with the artifact spirit in a hurry.
This old man was also a supreme Godking from the Godkings' Throne. He was the one responsible for sucking Jian Chen into the cauldron.
Unfortunately, the power he could unleash through the god artifact as a Godking was very limited. He would possess an absolute advantage if he faced individual enemies, but against several hundred Godkings, there was nothing he could do despite his wishes. He was forced into a situation where he could only react to whatever that was thrown at him.
In particular, he no longer had the power to control the god artifact now. He left everything up to the artifact spirit.
Unfortunately, even though the cauldron was a god artifact, it had broken free from its owner's control, so it had lost its source of power. Even though it could not be damaged due to how tough its material was, it could only take a beating before several hundred supreme Godkings. It was unable to escape.
The huge, golden hand appeared once again, and it shone with golden light. It radiated with an extremely powerful pressure that was even more powerful than when it attacked Jian Chen before. It seemed to surpass Godkings and reach the Primordial realm. Before the supreme Godkings could make it in time, the golden hand had wrapped around the cauldron tightly.
"So powerful. This person must rank within the top ten of the Godkings' Throne..." The suffocating feeling from the golden hand made many supreme Godkings shiver inside.
It was also at this moment that a cold snort rang out from nowhere. It was not loud, but it completely drowned out the deafening booms from the collision of energy.
A silver-haired young man with quite a striking appearance made his way over with a nine-meter-long spear. He was in white robes. He seemed to have fused with his spear as he stabbed out at the golden hand.
Immediately, sparks crackled as lightning shot out. The moment the silver-haired young man stabbed out with his spear, he became coated in sparks, seemingly becoming a huge bolt of lightning. He moved extremely quickly.
Boom!
After being struck by the lightning attack from the silver-haired young man, the huge, golden hand directly dispersed, turning into violent energy that wreaked havoc in the surroundings.
The silver-haired young man flicked his spear, and he threaded it through the two handles, locking the cauldron down firmly before reaching inside.
It was also at this moment that the powerful attacks from the supreme Godkings rained down on the young man with powerful ripples of energy, sealing off any path of retreat for the silver-haired young man.
The silver-haired young man's face did not change. Sparks flickered around him, and he swept out with his spear, dispersing the closer attacks before turning into a bolt of lightning and unleashing great speed. He moved through the cracks between the attacks and broke out of the encirclement with great composure.
"Lei Daozi, taking something from my hands won't be that easy."
However, just when the silver-haired young man was about to flee, a burly, three-meter-tall man blocked his way. The man's face was emotionless, and his eyes were cold. He shone with dazzling golden light as he directly hurled out a fist. The power was frightening, causing the space there to ripple.
"Lei Daozi? The person who ranks sixth on the Godkings' Throne, Lei Daozi?"
"The silver-haired young man is Lei Daozi? He's a terrifying existence that ranks in the top ten of the Godkings' Throne..."
Cries immediately rang out in the surroundings when they heard Lei Daozi's name.
Lei Daozi's face did not change. His pupils suddenly turned silver-white as if they possessed the power of lightning. Sparks flew in his eyes. Then he seemed to turn into a bolt of lightning as he shot over loudly with incomparable speed.
The golden fist and lightning collided together like planets. It exploded loudly in the air, erupting with devastating might. Terrifying energy ripples splayed out, forcing the supreme Godkings who ranked towards the bottom to a halt as they struggled to advance any further.
After the clash, Lei Daozi shook, and he could not help but stagger a few steps back. Sparks flickered and flew from his body as it crackled.
Before him, the three-meter-tall burly man basked in golden light as he flew into the distance with the cauldron that Lei Daozi had grabbed.
"Rui Di, do you think you can escape before me? No matter how fast you are, do you think you're faster than my lightning?" Lei Daozi snorted coldly. He turned into lightning as he pursued rapidly.
He only needed to keep Rui Di busy. No matter how powerful Rui Di was, he would be powerless against several hundred supreme Godkings.
Chapter 2138: From the Same Homeland (One)
When Rui Di's name was mentioned, the supreme Godkings in the surroundings became stunned once again.
They were familiar with this name because it ranked fourth on the Godkings' Throne.
In the eyes of many supreme Godkings, this ranking was extremely highly regarded.
"Lei Daozi, with me here, do you still think you can catch up to Rui Di?" A gentle laughter rang out, and an extremely pretty woman who seemed to be in her twenties blocked Lei Daozi's way. Milky-white flames flickered on her as she engaged in a battle against Lei Daozi.
To another side, Ming Dong was utterly furious. He ignored his fragility as he used secret techniques through burning his essence blood. He pursued Rui Di with the five divine generals as he called out to the divine generals in a vicious manner, "Don't let me leave here without my brother no matter what. Otherwise, with that person's strength, my brother will probably be done for. I don't care what price you have to pay, stop that man. Save my brother and bring me that cauldron. As long as that cauldron is in my hands, I'd like to see who's bold enough to take it away." Ming Dong's voice was rather hoarse. At that moment, he was extremely furious. Killing intent filled his chest in particular when he saw how so many supreme Godkings wanted to take Jian Chen away.
"Yes, ninth majesty," the five divine generals replied together. Although they were also as powerful as supreme Godkings, they were extremely polite to Ming Dong.
The divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng were basically equivalent to guards, and in the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng, all of the nine majesties possessed extremely great statuses, making them existences only second to the master of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng, the Anatta Grand Exalt. As a result, all majesties, regardless of their strength, could directly order them around.
The five divine generals looked at one another and determination flooded their eyes. They were divine generals of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng. Every single one of them had been nurtured through the great efforts of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng, where their battle skills, secret techniques, or cultivation methods were all objects of envy to many supreme Godkings. As a result, even thought Rui Di was powerful, it was still possible for the five of them to stop him through forbidden techniques.
As for Ming Dong's safety, all of the supreme Godkings had actually kept their distance from Ming Dong after the divine generals had their identities exposed. None of them dared to become enemies with Ming Dong. Even if they wanted to obstruct him, they would not be like before where they tried to kill him fearlessly.
Ming Dong's identity as the ninth majesty still had not been exposed. Everyone had only realised Ming Dong was related to the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng through the five divine generals. Aside from Audriana and Shui Yunlan, none of them were able to guess how he was actually connected. However, even with that being the case, none of them dared to offend Ming Dong.
However, just when the five divine generals were about to use a forbidden technique, a terrifying stream of cold air came bombarding, causing the temperature in the surroundings to plummet.
In the blink of an eye, snow billowed through the air as frost formed on the ground. The mountains and rivers were reduced to a world of ice in a split second.
A person that seemed to fuse with the snow and ice appeared out of nowhere in the direction where Rui Di fled. She wore silver-white armor that wrapped around her firmly, only exposing a pair of icy-cold eyes.
At that moment, the previously hidden Shui Yunlan took action. She looked at Rui Di emotionlessly with her cold, beautiful eyes as she extended a slender finger towards Rui Di gently.
With that, the space around Rui Di actually froze up at an unbelievable speed from a terrifying coldness. Moreover, the coldness rapidly spread towards Rui Di at an unstoppable speed, wanting to freeze his blood, suspend his soul in ice, and seal up his cultivation.
Rui Di's face changed. As if he faced a powerful opponent, he bellowed out, and golden light erupted from around him. He seemed to have become a scorching sun that shone with blinding light as terrifying pulses of energy erupted like tsunamis. He punched out in a vicious and brutal manner, splashing through the great coldness that pervaded towards him and directly charged at Shui Yunlan.
It had to be mentioned that Rui Di was extremely powerful. Just the power of his punch was devastating. It was enough to claim supremacy among Godkings and match up to early Infinite Primes.
Shui Yunlan seemed extremely gentle, but she received Rui Di's punch with great indifference. Her slender finger was covered in coldness as it drifted out as a palm strike, colliding with Rui Di's punch.
The clash this time was not spectacular or disappointing. The terrifying power in Rui Di's punch was directly frozen by Shui Yunlan's coldness, and the coldness spread up Rui Di's arm at an unbelievable speed. It covered his body in a split second. Rui Di became covered in a thin layer of ice crystals.
Rui Di's face changed as he became shocked. He bellowed out furiously, and his body swelled up. He burst through the ice crystals around him as he turned into a gigantic, golden dragon several hundred meters in length. His scales flickered with golden light.
However, during this short clash, the cauldron that Rui Di had stolen had already ended up in Shui Yunlan's hands.
Shui Yunlan grabbed the cauldron with one hand and looked at Rui Di who had turned into a golden dragon. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she immediately flew off into the distance with the cauldron.
"This person is so powerful. Rui Di couldn't even last a few rounds against her. I'll go stop her. Follow behind me," Lei Daozi's eyes suddenly narrowed as his face was filled with seriousness. He flickered with sparks as he turned into a bolt of lightning, shooting off at great speeds.
The woman bathed in white flames naturally stopped blocking Lei Daozi after seeing Shui Yunlan take the cauldron away. She tailed Lei Daozi closely as she chased Shui Yunlan with Rui Di who had turned into a golden dragon.
Shui Yunlan moved very quickly, but compared to Lei Daozi who possessed an advantage in terms of laws, she was quite a lot slower. She was stopped by Lei Daozi.
"You're far too reckless!" Shui Yunlan's eyes were ice-cold as killing intent filled them. With a flip of her hand, a fist-sized orb appeared, radiating with the pulses that belonged to a god artifact. Under Shui Yunlan's control, extremely terrifying coldness spewed out from the orb, enveloping Lei Daozi.
Lei Daozi had just caught up with Shui Yunlan and still had not had the opportunity to strike. In the blink of an eye, he was reduced to an ice statue from the terrifying coldness of the orb.
The coldness was just far too terrifying. It was completely unavoidable. Even when Lei Daozi was the supreme Godking ranked sixth on the Godkings' Throne, even when he wore a set of god artifact armor, he was still unable to resist at all. He could not even last for a split second, sealed up by ice in the blink of an eye. He had been frozen into a statue while he was still alive.
Lei Daozi's eyes narrowed to the size of needles as shock filled them. This woman's strength was far more terrifying than he had expected. At that moment, he even doubted whether he was facing a Godking. He felt like he faced an Infinite Prime instead.
Moreover, he felt like it was an Infinite Prime of extraordinary strength!
Bang!
With that sound, Shui Yunlan used her god artifact again, and the orb in her hand immediately struck Lei Daozi's body.
Immediately, Lei Daozi's body shattered. His body was reduced to countless pieces, falling out of the sky as a pile of ice crystals. Only the armor he wore and the spear remained undamaged.
Chapter 2139: From the Same Homeland (Two)
Lei Daozi's soul hovered high in the sky as he stared at Shui Yunlan in shock.
He had lost his body. Shui Yunlan used the orb in her hands to bypass the defences of Lei Daozi's god artifact and destroyed his body.
If it were not for the god artifact's protection, it would not have been as simple as him losing his body. Even his soul would have been destroyed.
Lei Daozi's heart shivered. He looked at the Godkings who rapidly drew closer from behind and no longer remained where he was. He used his soul to control the armor to protect himself and wrapped around the long spear before leaving the area as quickly as he could.
Lei Daozi's fate had stunned all the supreme Godkings behind. Many of them looked at Shui Yunlan in fear.
Lei Daozi was a supreme expert who ranked sixth on the Godkings' Throne, yet he had almost been slain on the spot. It made their hearts beat heavily due to fear.
Since Shui Yunlan had been kept busy for a while, Rui Di who had transformed into a Golden Divine Dragon and the woman in white flames caught up as well. They two of them worked together against Shui Yunlan to take the cauldron from her.
At the same time, the many supreme Godkings behind responded as well. A few confident people who believed that they were powerful charged over aggressively.
A fraction of them dispersed, forming an encirclement to trap Shui Yunlan and stop her from leaving with the cauldron.
Shui Yunlan really was very powerful. Against independent opponents, basically no one could match up to her. However, all the Godkings who were gathered here right now were the cream of the crop. They were all renowned Godkings who practised extraordinary cultivation methods. Some of them even wielded god artifacts and could use God Tier Battle Skills, making their battle prowess supreme. Once they worked together, there would only be defeat for Shui Yunlan no matter how powerful she was.
Reward came with risk. They all deeply understood this concept as they came, so even though the supreme Godkings felt angst for Shui Yunlan, they did not shy away when they faced the temptation of the Neptunean Divine Palace.
Shui Yunlan's cold eyes were grave at this moment. She looked at Rui Di and the woman in milky-white flames as the light in her eyes flickered. Then she formed a seal with her two hands before her chest.
Immediately, an even more powerful coldness radiated from Shui Yunlan. A huge, imposing, icy mountain appeared above her head and descended with force that seemed to be enough to flatten the world, crushing towards Rui Di and his companion.
Rui Di and the woman in white flames became extremely grim. They could tell with a single glance that the icy mountain was a God Tier Battle Skill that Shui Yunlan had cast. It possessed the might of the world. Under the icy mountain, the two of them felt like they had been trapped there, unable to dodge and only able to resist.
At this moment, an elated phoenix's cry rang out. The woman bathed in white flames turned into a gigantic phoenix. Flames surged around her, radiating with terrifying heat.
Rui Di also emitted a clear dragon's cry that resounded through the surroundings. Golden light surged in the sky around him as every single scale on his body flickered with light. They pulsed with powerful energy, striking out with the phoenix beside him. They both used God Tier Battle Skills against the icy mountain.
Boom!
Boom!
Under the thunderous sounds, Rui Di and the phoenix's God Tier Battle Skills struck the icy mountain, but they only caused it to tremble slightly. However, the icy mountain continued to fall, descending with tremendous, terrifying might as it suppressed the surroundings.
"Suppress!" Shui Yunlan called out, and with a heavy boom, the icy mountain squashed down on the dragon and phoenix that stretched hundreds of meters in length. The ground shook as the sky seemed to pale.
It was truly a devastating sight, like the end of the world.
Crack!
At the same time, cracks permeated the icy mountain. The dragon and phoenix were very powerful, and the phoenix happened to comprehend the Laws of Fire, which just happened to be the opposite of the Laws of Ice. The suppression from the icy mountain was unable to last for even a few seconds against them.
"If you come from a place called the Beast God Continent from a lower world, don't fight with me. Jian Chen has ties with your clansmen. My actions are to save Jian Chen," Shui Yunlan secretly said to the dragon and phoenix under the icy mountain. Afterwards, she did not hesitate at all and flew off into the distance as she carried the cauldron in one hand.
At the same time, the icy mountain over Rui Di and the phoenix exploded loudly. It was reduced to countless pieces of ice that scattered in all directions.
Rui Di and the phoenix had broken free. However, they did not continue their pursuit of Shui Yunlan after breaking free. Instead, they stood where they were as they stared at Shui Yunlan's figure with widened eyes. Their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.
"The Beast God Continent? I once heard an elder in the sect mention that our Sect of Dragons and Phoenixes did originally come from a place called the Beast God Continent. B- but only people with a certain amount of status can learn about this in our sect, so how does she know?" The phoenix surged with flames as she radiated with terrifying heat, preventing many supreme Godkings from drawing near her. Her face was filled with confusion.
"The Beast God Continent is the homeland of our Sect of Dragon and Phoenixes. Does this person also come from our homeland? And she mentioned that Jian Chen has ties with our clansmen. What is that about?" The Golden Divine Dragon, Rui Di, was also perplexed. He had no idea what was going on.
"Zhi Ye, let's follow them. We have to get to the bottom of this. If they really do come from the same homeland... I've only heard about some things from a few elders about our homeland. Now that so much time has passed, who knows how our homeland has become. That's the ancestral lands of our Sect of Dragons and Phoenixes," said Rui Di.
"It's said that there's also a Tian Yuan Continent..." Zhi Ye murmured softly. Her feelings were mixed, and she immediately pursued with Rui Di.
Up ahead, Shui Yunlan did not manage to escape successfully. She was stopped once again and engaged in a battle against three supreme Godkings
One of the supreme Godkings she fought against was extremely powerful. He comprehended the Laws of the Sword and wielded a god artifact sword while wearing god artifact armor. Every single move of his possessed extremely great power from the Laws of the Sword. He was quite a lot more powerful than Rui Di. Although it was three against one, he was able to hold his ground in an open confrontation against Shui Yunlan.
One of the other two people was a skinny old man. He comprehended the Laws of Death, and he radiated with death. The vitality and life force of whatever he came in contact with it would be drained away. Everything withered wherever he went, reduced to a land of death.
Chapter 2140: Guessing the Identity
The third person wore a large cloak, completely obscuring her appearance. She gave off a sense of mysteriousness and comprehended the Laws of Illusions. She resided in the illusions, causing the illusions and reality to constantly replace each other. It was very difficult to deal with.
The person would reveal her hands from time to time as she fought Shui Yunlan, clearly revealing a pair of extremely pale, claw-like hands that were basically just skin and bones.
The three of them were extremely powerful. Every single one of them was like a Primordial realm expert, without paling in comparison to Shui Yunlan at all.
Now, as the three people worked together, their battle against Shui Yunlan was devastating. Every single move was destructive, where the ripples of energy that shot out were like tidal waves.
"I, Zhu Wen, originally thought that I had no more opponents among Godkings apart from that monstrosity called Qing Shan. But never had I thought that I'd encounter such a powerful opponent in the Neptunean Divine Palace today. I wonder if I, Zhu Wen, have the right to learn the name you go under?" The sword-wielding man with the Laws of the Sword growled among Shui Yunlan's three opponents.
Although he was talking, his attacks did not tarry or slow down at all. Like galaxies, his sword Qi shone as a streak of light. They were extremely sharp and extraordinarily powerful.
"That person is actually Zhu Wen. No wonder he's so powerful."
"Zhu Wen is a figure of legends that ranks second on the Godkings' Throne, only second to Qing Shan. However, the woman with the Laws of Ice doesn't seem any weaker than him at all, and she's fighting three people at the same time, against Zhu Wen and two other people who seem to rank in the top ten as well. Who is she?"
"She can't be an Infinite Prime whose cultivation fell to Godking, right? Or maybe she's a reincarnation of those supreme existences that stand at the apex? Otherwise, how can she be so powerful?"
Many people became curious about Shui Yunlan's identity, and they all began to guess inside.
Shui Yunlan did not reply. Her personality was just like the laws she controlled—extremely cold, just like unmeltable ice.
At this moment, the supreme Godking in the cloak who comprehended the Laws of Illusions let out a strange peal of laughter. She said in an old and husky voice, "I am Sheng Man, ranked seventh on the Godkings' Throne. Although I do not know who this fellow who comprehends the Laws of Death is, I'm certain you're also someone who ranks within the top ten of the Godkings' Throne. It's nothing difficult for us to kill some regular Infinite Primes when we work together given our strength. Apart from that deviant Qing Shan, there's probably no one else who can hold their ground against the three of us without suffering defeat out of all the Godkings in the world. Even the direct disciples of those sovereigns of the world can't achieve that."
"If there really was such a person, I think that there's probably no one else in the Saints' World who possesses the power to do so aside from Shui Yunlan who has remained on the Godkings' Throne for over three million years."
Shui Yunlan's gaze turned cold from that. A sliver of intense killing intent flickered through her eyes. Her glare towards Sheng Man was icy-cold.
Shui Yunlan's response immediately allowed Zhu Wen to confirm Sheng Man's guess. A gleam of light flashed through his eyes immediately, and he called out, "Shui Yunlan, it really is you!"
The exposure of Shui Yunlan's identity immediately caused an uproar in the surroundings.
In reality, everyone was extremely curious about her identity. Many people had tried to guess it. Now that her name was learnt by everyone, they all became extremely astounded.
They could accept it if it was an unfamiliar name, as they would just believe that she did not attempt the Godkings' Throne. However, not only did they happen to be familiar with the name Shui Yunlan, but they were even extremely familiar with it.
It was also because they were familiar with it that they were in shock and disbelief.
This was because Shui Yunlan only ranked sixth on the Godkings' Throne. Although it was quite a high ranking, a certain distance still existed between her position and Zhu Wen who ranked second.
However, Zhu Wen was unable to do anything to Shui Yunlan right now. In reality, even when Zhu Wen worked together with the other two people who ranked in the top ten against Shui Yunlan, they still failed to gain any advantage at all.
It was exactly because of this that many people became confused.
"Over three million years ago, Shui Yunlan ranked ninth on the Godkings' Throne. However, the Godkings' Throne only records experts in the current age and not people from history, which is why the rankings on there change frequently. Once a supreme Godking dies or breaks through to the Primordial realm, their name will disappear from the Godkings' Throne," a supreme Godking slowly explained from among the crowd at this moment. Although he was a middle-aged man, he had clearly lived for a long time as he knew quite a lot.
"According to my observations of the top ten on the Godkings' Throne, the record of Shui Yunlan's strength has not moved for over three million years. The reason why her ranking has moved from ninth to the sixth is not because she attempted the Godkings' Throne again. Instead, it was because the people who ranked higher than her either broke through to the Primordial realm or died, causing their names to disappear. As a result, Shui Yunlan's ranking moved up as time went on."
"Although Shui Yunlan's ranking would change frequently throughout the millions of years, rising and falling, none of it was ever caused by herself. Instead, it was because other supreme Godkings had either surpassed her and ranked higher than her, broke through, or died, making their names vanish. This caused her ranking to move. As a result, Shui Yunlan's current ranking of sixth on the Godkings' Throne records her strength over three million years ago."
On the other side, Shui Yunlan's face sunk very much. She scanned the surroundings coldly as killing intent surged within her heart. She was tempted to kill everyone present.
Now that the Ice Goddess Hall was in trouble and under the traitor Wu Han's control, she did not want to expose herself. Even if these people only knew her name and did not know she came from the Ice Goddess Hall, she could not be certain whether the name would reach the Ice Goddess Hall or not.
Once Wu Han learnt she had returned to the Saints' World, she would naturally guess that Shui Yunlan had found the Snow Goddess. When that happened, she would definitely try to hunt down the Snow Goddess regardless of the price and eliminate her before she had recovered.
It was exactly because of this that Shui Yunlan had never revealed her identity when she was in the Neptunean Divine Palace.
"Sigh," Shui Yunlan exhaled gloomily. She knew that she was powerless to change anything now. It was impossible for her to slaughter so many supreme Godkings with her current strength.
At this moment, she could not help but think about the sorrow she experienced when she first came to the Neptunean Divine Palace. She did not want to be sucked into battles that were too great. She did not even want to fight and had not even been prepared to fight. She only hoped to gather some cultivation resources here so that the Snow Goddess could recover as soon as possible.
However, Jian Chen's appearance had completely destroyed her original plans. She did not dare to return to the Ice Goddess Hall, as it was in trouble. In order to eliminate Wu Han and the other traitors as well as to protect the Snow Goddess better, she needed to find powerful help.
However, the Ice Goddess Hall was known for being proud and aloof. They did not have any connections with other organisations, let alone close ties. As a result, the current Ice Goddess Hall was basically alone.
Now, the mysterious Mo Tianyun who also happened to have grievances with Nan Potian of the Moon God Hall had become the best person for her to work with. However, to find Mo Tianyun, she required Jian Chen's assistance, so she had to help out when Jian Chen faced danger.
And as a result, her identity was exposed, forcing the Snow Goddess into danger. Shui Yunlan's heart became extremely heavy.