Chapter 332: The Time Has Come, Enter the Dragon Palace (Ten-Thousand-Character Chapter)

After walking out of the radiation zone of the Mu Cang cultivator stronghold and confirming there were no eavesdroppers or lurkers, Nangong Sheng and Jiang Ying could not help but anxiously press for answers.

"How did you dare to strike head-on like that?!"

"Yeah, yeah, are you crazy?!"

Lou Shuyue did not speak, but in truth, she was also quite concerned.

In their view, True Monarch Zhuding was not like Meng Changqing; he was not a person with a particularly good temper. To have pushed things to the point of making the other party strike, one could only say, it's a miracle you're still alive!

Could it be that Counselor Meng was acting as a guarantor back then?

The more the three of them thought about it, the more concerned they became.

"Actually, it was nothing much; I just happened to be hostile toward the True Monarch's avatar at the Southern Cang ruins."

Du En answered nonchalantly, leaving the three of them quite dumbfounded.

He did not feel this matter needed to be concealed, because given the status and standing of these three, if they really wanted to know, they could just go back and ask the True Monarchs above their respective heads, and they would basically be able to learn the general situation.

—This matter, while it could be hidden in one or two minor details, was actually known to the other True Monarchs and the upper echelons of the Falling Feather Immortal Sect in its basic progression.

As for the True Monarchs of other sects currently above them, well, let's just trust in the legend that is True Monarch Zhuding!

Therefore, it was actually quite strange that the True Monarchs of their own sect hadn't told these three beforehand.

Especially in Lou Shuyue's case...

Du En appeared thoughtful.

After waiting for a while and not receiving any further words, Nangong Sheng and Jiang Ying could not help but press again immediately.

"And then? The specifics?"

"Don't put it so simply; what was the strength of the avatar, what was your strength at the time—these are very critical!"

"It was just factional infighting, each doing their best. In terms of strength, his avatar was at the early Golden Core stage at the time, and I happened to be at the early Golden Core stage as well. As for the process and the result, well, go back and ask for yourselves."

Because of the current situation and various considerations, Du En's answers became measured and vague.

He was not lying; when the head-on collision occurred back then, their cultivation levels were indeed the same.

Of course, at that time, the gap between the two of them was absurdly large.

—Relying on his full-recovery divine ability, Du En, facing the True Monarch Zhuding avatar who had been beaten to a pulp, was unable to recover effectively, and was still being pursued, could only manage one strike.

Looking at the result, both sides were essentially evenly matched, both being severely wounded on the spot to the point of being unable to fight further.

Nangong Sheng: "..."

Jiang Ying: "Hiss!"

It was actually the same rank!

And they actually survived!

Truly terrifying!

Then, Nangong Sheng recalled that before participating in the Grand Competition, when True Monarch Zhuding summoned him, he seemed somewhat intriguing, as if he held expectations.

He expected the two to clash head-on, wanting to see what level Du En's hard power had reached, while also wanting to let the two promote each other's growth.

That was why he hadn't told him anything in advance.

Although it didn't end up clashing as hoped, it was actually a case of hitting the mark by accident, and both achieved their goals, so there was no problem, and no need to say more on the matter.

As for Jiang Ying, during the time the incident occurred, she was still repeating the cycle of fierce battles, healing, and refinement. By the eve of the Grand Competition, True Monarch Buyi clearly wouldn't care that such a hidden tiger existed among her opponents.

Telling her the situation in advance would only reduce the purity of her tempering!

From the changes in the two's expressions and demeanor, and referencing the known temperaments of the two True Monarchs, one could roughly infer these things.

As for the final person, Lou Shuyue.

Du En looked at her calmly, making her feel subconsciously guilty, before she reacted and felt a sudden surge of shame and anger.

Yes!

That's right!

Among my peers in the faction, I only have a first-mover advantage; I am indeed not as highly regarded as them, nor am I the center of attention with plenty of competitors chasing me, are you happy now!

She couldn't help but mutter in her heart at Du En's probing gaze, and she added this to her list of grudges.

Because this hit her sore spot for real.

Layer upon layer, grudge upon grudge.

Just wait, there will come a day when I make you pay!

Regarding this person who hid murderous intent while smiling brightly on the surface, Du En simply withdrew his gaze calmly, feeling no concern or worry.

Although this only made her feel that she was being looked down upon, making her even more hostile, which was purely adding fuel to the fire.

Then, Nangong Sheng didn't ask anything else, while Jiang Ying continued to chatter incessantly, appearing vaguely worshipful.

Because if it were her, she wouldn't dare to bare her fangs at a True Monarch.

As they walked closer and closer, they soon arrived at the stronghold of the Fudong Immortal Sect.

Logically speaking, of these two immortal sects, Mu Cang is located on the west side of Falling Feather, and Fudong is located on the east side of Falling Feather; their current strongholds should be on the east and west sides of the island respectively.

But in fact, both great immortal sects have the ambition to dominate alone, so naturally, they would not be constrained by the current geographical situation.

At the same time, they are currently in a state of head-on fighting and competing for hegemony with the Falling Feather Immortal Sect, while having agreed to a ceasefire among themselves; this is a case of "allying with the distant to attack the near," so it is actually quite normal for these two to be adjacent to each other now.

Facing the Fudong Immortal Sect, Lou Shuyue needed to take the lead.

Because it is precisely True Monarch Huiqing who governs the eastern part of the sect's main territory, commanding this region, and fighting the Fudong Immortal Sect in the Sighing Death Gobi all year round.

Facing the gaze of the three people beside her, and the Fudong Immortal Sect's side which was temporarily silent, only looking over with eyes containing hidden cruelty and contempt, Lou Shuyue perhaps out of consideration for the big picture, perhaps because she was displeased by the Fudong cultivators' gaze, or perhaps to prove that she was also highly regarded and the center of attention within her faction,

In short, after stopping, she commented quite bluntly.

"This servant hasn't stepped onto the battlefield personally, but I have observed from Lindong City. At the same time, thanks to the True Monarch's care, I have been able to access some enemy intelligence, and it just so happens I have information on the Nascent Soul peers."

"Hmph! You look quite tender, but it turns out you're just a cowardly slut!"

The people on the Fudong side were not like those on the Mu Cang side who were quite cautious, so upon hearing this, they retorted directly, seemingly with the intention of obstruction.

However, judging by their behavior of not acting rashly, they were not entirely without scruples; rather, they needed to consider True Monarch Zhuding, so they could only aggrievedly tolerate these four fellows observing from up close.

Du En just glanced over and saw a rabbit-faced mask.

Inside this stronghold of Fudong, there were twelve people in total, each wearing a mask; they were the Twelve Earthly Branches and Twelve Zodiacs, and the eyes exposed by each one revealed cruelty, yet when looking at each individual, they were different.

Like the one with the rabbit-faced mask, called Mao Rabbit, the figure was on the shorter side, with a slightly hunched waist, letting half the mask hide in the shadow of the hair falling before the forehead, those two blood-red eyeballs spinning around, carrying a lewd and sadistic air.

Its gaze was fixed on Lou Shuyue, examining her, and at this moment, the three-petaled rabbit mouth part on the mask seemed to vibrate, letting out its own strange, laughing voice: "However, what I, Lord Rabbit, like most is this kind of slutty vibe; it's only satisfying enough when played with!"

"Oh? This slave is so scared~"

Lou Shuyue replied with deliberate coquettishness, but there was no hidden chill, because her gaze never looked at Mao Rabbit, but instead stared at the one sitting upright on the dragon chair in the center of the stronghold.

"Of the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Dragon is the strongest!"

She spoke with a grave expression, stating the intelligence she knew, "The other Earthly Branches each have their peculiarities, practicing various beast techniques that allow them to transform, which is quite extraordinary, but to us, most of their strength is actually considered average. The ones of the same rank that need to be worried about are only Rat Plague, Tiger Ferocity, Pig Greed, and this Dragon Cruelty."

"Presumptuous!"

Hearing that someone would actually call him by such a title, Chen Long, who was sitting upright on the dragon chair, was immediately enraged, slammed his hand on the armrest, and a violent pressure instantly ravaged the surroundings, destroying the stronghold that had just been built, leaving a bare patch in the forest and forcing the other Earthly Branches to kneel one after another.

Even Du En and his group could not help but retreat, feeling a terrifying pressure rushing toward them.

"Nascent Soul peak!"

Lou Shuyue was exceptionally grave, her voice subconsciously softening, "I don't know what method the Fudong Immortal Sect used to be able to take this… person, who only has the talent of a genius, and forcibly stuff him to the theoretical peak of the Nascent Soul stage!"

"Heh! Consider yourself sensible; I reward you with surrender, to be a beauty on my couch—do not disregard my grace!"

Chen Long's temperament was fickle; at this moment, he was arrogant and dispensing favors, just waiting for her to take the initiative to surrender.

Of course, he did not have any good intentions; for every beauty who took the initiative to surrender, he would fully abuse them, destroying their dignity, beliefs, and Dao heart, and finally throw them into the human ditch in front of his residence, savoring their maggot-like struggling and writhing every day.

Naturally, Lou Shuyue could not choose to throw herself into his arms, but she said nothing at this time, only watching the situation and retreating quickly with the other three in tacit understanding.

"Ungrateful!"

Chen Long was immediately enraged again and was about to stand up to grab them, but fortunately, the other Earthly Branches knew that it was impossible to do so at this moment and spoke up one after another to dissuade him.

Crack!

Pfft!

Boom!

Du En's group, having already retreated, could hear the sounds of broken bones, vomiting blood, and heavy impacts, even without using their divine sense, along with suppressed wails, curses, and even some sharp, pleasurable female sounds.

"Shameless Si Snake and Wei Sheep!"

Lou Shuyue couldn't help but spit out this curse; clearly, being treated and looked at so explicitly just now had made her quite angry, and she harbored deep resentment in her heart.

Du En, who was withdrawing his divine sense, had a completely unchanged expression, only glancing one last time at the one among the Twelve Earthly Branches who had remained silent.

Hai Pig!

That pig-faced mask of his looked quite familiar.

"Du En, what do you think?"

At this time, Nangong Sheng asked.

"It is clearly somewhat exaggerated."

Du En, having completely withdrawn his divine sense, replied nonchalantly.

"Exactly, exactly. Talking about a Nascent Soul peak—why don't I feel afraid at all, but instead feel unconvinced?"

Jiang Ying seemed to have a lot to say about this, counting on her fingers: "If it corresponded to the peak of a heaven-gifted talent, I would instinctively feel intimidated, while at the same time feeling a bit eager to try, because there would still be a tiny chance of winning—that is, extreme luck, sparking the hidden treasures of the physical body, and stepping into the category of heaven-gifted talents."

"If it corresponded to the peak of supreme talent, I would have been scared away long ago; no, I wouldn't even dare to get close, and would have already gone back to hide under the covers."

The 'supreme' of a supreme physical body is no boast; in terms of vigilance and self-preservation, it is likewise supreme!

In other words, although Chen Long was indeed very strong, at least in terms of his physical body, he was actually at most on par with Jiang Ying, and far from being any 'Nascent Soul peak'.

By the same token, Du En's divine sense, like Jiang Ying's physical body, was the maximum limit of the Nascent Soul stage at the genius level, and Chen Long had not detected his cautious peeking just now.

From this, it can be seen that in terms of soul and divine sense, he is at most on par with him.

One real, one illusory, reflecting each other.

"Under normal circumstances, his strength should be the Nascent Soul peak of the genius level."

Du En made this judgment.

The other three nodded one after another, expressing their agreement.

Even Lou Shuyue was very willing to believe the intelligence obtained by True Monarch Huiqing, and it was the same.

Of course, it was not because she was planning to let others be careless so she could try to profit from it, such as borrowing a knife to kill someone later.

Because Du En used a modifier.

Under normal circumstances!

If he were to use secret techniques or something to create an abnormal situation where the Twelve Earthly Branches merged, perhaps he could really pile up a Nascent Soul peak that others of the same rank would find hard to match!

In other words, if they were to deal with them next, it would be best to break them one by one, cut off all possibilities, and finally join forces to gang up on that Chen Long to ensure there were no mistakes!

The four people's thoughts were actually identical.

It was just that how to specifically achieve this was clearly a point of great disagreement, and it was not so easy to work together.

Thinking about it, they fell into silence.

Walking along like this, they arrived at the edge of the Zhijing Immortal Sect's stronghold.

This side was close to Fudong, because they had ceased hostilities and declared a truce; conversely, it was the furthest from Mucang, because the two sides were currently fighting fiercely.

But they also had conflicts with the Luoyu side, so they seemed to have dissatisfied feelings about these four people wantonly approaching and spying on the situation.

However, clouds and mist swirled, and veils were white.

These Zhijing cultivators, regardless of gender, were all dressed in white and wore veils, appearing very mysterious, which was the exact opposite of the Mucang cultivators.

But what was consistent was that, at this moment, the Luoyu side also found it difficult to see through their reality through these things.

Thus, the three of them, Du En included, all looked at Jiang Ying.

"So mysterious, so sneaky, you just don't like to fight me head-on, it's so annoying!"

Everyone: "..."

Anyone with a shred of normalcy wouldn't choose to fight you head-on!

Both the enemy and our side thought this simultaneously.

Then, Nangong Sheng and Lou Shuyue, the two who had fought her head-on, realized this in unison and shifted their attention, acting as if that subconscious thought had never existed.

Then.

"You little demon girl, don't be so arrogant. Do you believe that once we enter the Dragon Palace, I'll pin you to the ground and beat you to a pulp!"

A young woman's voice rang out; among the Limitless Realm cultivators, someone couldn't help but speak up.

"Fine, come and fight, let's see who beats whom!"

Jiang Ying was not afraid in the slightest. Furthermore, she was somewhat excited and directly cursed at all the people on the other side: "You bunch of cowards, every time I go to find you, isn't it you who hide yourselves? You have no shame, yet you dare to bark here; I have never seen such shameless people!"

"Ahhh! You're infuriating me!"

"You little beast! That was because our elders stopped us, otherwise we would have killed you to vent our anger long ago!"

"To think you dare bully us of the Limitless Realm!"

"You son of a bitch, just you wait, I'll kill you first when we enter the Dragon Palace!"

"Tear you limb from limb! We must tear you limb from limb!"

The Limitless Realm cultivators immediately exploded in a frenzy, no longer able to maintain that mysterious posture. It was clear just how intense the previous disaster caused by Jiang Ying had been, to have accumulated such deep resentment.

"Uh, you guys, you can't blame me, it was directed by Master Buyi. That's right, if you have the guts, go confront the True Monarch directly!"

She herself had been frightened at first and couldn't help but shrink back, stammering, but as she spoke, she turned it around on her own, becoming righteous and unshakeable.

Just like Du En.

After all, there was a precedent!

Hearing her say this, the Limitless Realm cultivators were instantly even more furious.

We don't dare confront the True Monarch, but we don't dare surround and kill you?!

This is truly outrageous!

Just wait for us!

"Everyone..."

Just at this moment, a gentle voice rang out. Upon hearing it, the Limitless Realm cultivators immediately calmed down, returning to their initial mysterious and lofty posture.

Because the transition was so sudden, it felt particularly jarring.

The real boss has arrived!

Du En thought this, and Nangong Sheng and Lou Shuyue thought the same.

Because, how should one put it regarding the previous Limitless Realm cultivators? Just looking at their performance, it was obvious they were basically just there to make up the numbers.

And since they were accompanied by so many fillers, it was quite obvious that their leading core must, like that Chen Long, possess the strength deemed sufficient to decide the outcome of the secret realm, and they were definitely not to be underestimated!

A slender figure strolled out, in a plain white dress with a fluttering veil, as if she had stepped out of a painting. She felt entirely otherworldly, immediately stirring up a base urge to peek at the true face beneath the veil; she could truly be called a fairy.

Just hearing the voice, just seeing the attire, just savoring the charm... Lou Shuyue immediately felt as if facing a great enemy, becoming exceptionally vigilant and guarded, having already assumed her most serious posture!

Because this woman seemed to belong only in the heavens; she didn't even need to show her face, yet it felt as if she had already outshone her!

"I am Rui Yi. I hope the four of you will forgive the words of my fellow sect members just now."

She was gentle and humble, bowing to apologize, and one could find absolutely no fault with her.

Tsk! It seems her temperament has been outshone as well!

Lou Shuyue was exceptionally irritable. She glanced at the others beside her and only saw Du En nodding slightly with a calm expression, his intention unclear for the moment. Nangong Sheng, meanwhile, stepped aside, not wanting to accept the enemy's show of weakness for nothing; his stance and attitude were particularly distinct, and he did not care at all about the enemy's temperament or appearance.

Finally, there was Jiang Ying.

"Haha, sorry, it seems I said the wrong thing just now. It would be best if this sister can forgive me."

Why are you defecting to the enemy!

Lou Shuyue was immediately very dissatisfied and secretly glared at her. Jiang Ying felt guilty at first, then reacted, her expression changing immediately. She raised her little pink fist and began to make amends: "No, why are you apologizing? If apologies were useful, would the Immortal Sects still be fighting for supremacy? You've always hidden from me before, but you can't escape this time!"

Saying this, her gaze couldn't help but wander.

Rui Yi did not mind her inconsistency, silently pressed down the junior sister beside her who was so angry she was about to explode, and then said: "As for this matter of fighting, it will naturally be discussed once we are in the Dragon Palace. For now, since the four of you have come from afar, why not come in for a cup of humble tea?"

"No need for formalities, farewell!"

Nangong Sheng replied coldly, Jiang Ying breathed a sigh of relief, Lou Shuyue was secretly satisfied, and Du En remained silent.

Under the gaze of the Limitless Realm cultivators, the four of them hurriedly turned and left the area.

"Sister, why did you yield to them? You should have beaten them all to the ground on the spot, so they would understand what it means to have someone better than them, and it would have let us vent our anger properly!"

Du En was still secretly observing them and heard these words. The next moment, Rui Yi met his divine sense, seemingly smiling politely, and casually stopped the complaints of the girl beside her.

"Not easy to deal with."

He withdrew his divine sense and sighed this.

"Indeed. When encountering that Chen Long, my fighting spirit was as always, having no fear of competing or fighting with him. But when encountering that Rui Yi just now, I only felt like I was punching into cotton; I couldn't even grasp anything substantial. She is truly not to be underestimated!"

Nangong Sheng was exceptionally grave, because he had only encountered a similar situation in one other person before.

Sheng Zhaoshui!

Whenever that guy stopped being lazy and revealed his true nature, he felt his fighting spirit crashing into a cold, dark abyss, where all the force he exerted was swallowed up, unable to stir even a ripple.

By comparison, Chen Long gave him the feeling of a raging storm, exceptionally violent and turbulent. Facing him was like facing a tsunami, but it was not impossible to deal with; he could still find a target to exert force against.

Or take Du En, for example: before, he was a raging fire, hiding a crazy hatred that made one's hair stand on end; now, he feels like facing an ancient palace, silent and unfathomable.

But regardless of before or after, there was always a target to exert force against, so all things considered, he was still a notch behind the serious Sheng Zhaoshui and that Limitless Realm's Rui Yi!

Of course, he had no fear and no distracting thoughts, only weighing his countermeasures.

But as expected, that one strategy was still the optimal one!

"When the time comes, we shall pool our wisdom and efforts, gather our respective strengths, and launch a fierce siege together to tear off that self-righteous mask!"

Lou Shuyue spoke viciously at this moment, causing the other three to look over, their gazes implying something self-evident, which made her cough lightly, "I am also considering the big picture!"

The three: "..."

Amidst the silence, it was as if it were mockery, yet also like tacit agreement; in any case, there was no rebuttal.

With hurried footsteps, they soon arrived at the last Immortal Gate stronghold.

Rotten Forest Immortal Gate.

They had set up camp in a forest, with no obvious construction work; everyone was simply hiding within the trees, appearing quite unconventional, yet they could not escape the senses of the four, who stopped at the edge of their stronghold.

They looked toward Du En one after another.

It is your turn.

"I don't know."

Although Meng Changqing would rule the South in the future, he did not yet, and his rise had been too rapid, his factional foundation was insufficient, and he was still bickering with the upper echelons of the Southern Pivot City; at the same time, the Falling Feather Immortal Gate and the Rotten Forest Immortal Gate had been at a truce for many years... with all these circumstances combined, the answer was simply that he did not know.

The three: "..."

In the silence, a light chuckle was drawn out.

"Hehehe, this little gentleman is truly interesting; could it be that you are under the command of True Monarch Chang Mengzhun?"

"I am a subordinate of the Resolution."

"That is good then; this young woman belongs to True Monarch Juanzhi of this sect. She told me that if I happened to encounter the subordinates of True Monarch Chang Mengzhun this time, I must ask them to help pass on a message: say that my True Monarch is filled with anticipation, hoping that the little True Monarch can come to meet her the very first moment after achieving the Dao Body."

Huh?

What is the situation?

It seems there is quite a story behind this?

Regardless of friend or foe, everyone was suddenly greatly intrigued!

There were even many heads that were overly exquisite, unable to resist popping out from the trees, which was truly quite bizarre.

"Alright, I will pass it on..."

"Go! Go! Go! Go back to sharpen our weapons and horses, and wait for the exploration!"

Du En had just finished responding when Nangong Sheng impatiently interrupted, making a move to pull people away, which left Lou Shuyue somewhat disappointed and Jiang Ying lingering with reluctance, like a curious baby, completely looking as if she wanted to investigate the secrets within.

After all, what was involved was Meng Changqing, who likely wouldn't mind or get angry, so naturally there were no qualms...

Du En nodded directly in acknowledgment, then turned and left.

Seeing this, Jiang Ying could only sigh secretly and likewise followed along to walk back.

On the way back, the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

The reason Nangong Sheng was in such a hurry to leave was mainly because he was unhappy to see the upper echelons of his own sect having any unclear, deep entanglements with that stumbling block on the road to hegemony!

Although this matter was not something he could decide, he still chose to urge them, lest the people around him misjudge something later.

Mainly Jiang Ying.

As for the others, each was more calculating than the last, so there was no need to worry too much.

"In short, regarding the Rotten Forest side, I think we should prioritize defense, or rather, in terms of the order of targeting, Rotten Forest should be last; if the situation is suitable, a shallow cooperation with each other is actually feasible."

On the way back, Du En pondered and spoke thus, making a very rational judgment.

From Mucang to Zhijing, the Falling Feather side was surrounded by enemies; although they each had their own conflicts, one could not naively count on them, so for now, one should distinguish between primary and secondary targets.

"The Zhijing side can also be spared for now; the main focus should be on Fudong and Mucang, striving to kill them quickly before targeting the remaining two sides."

Nangong Sheng was equally rational and did not let his fighting spirit go to his head, demanding a fight to the death.

If he only knew how to fight to the death, he would have long since died in the Scarlet Desert.

The other two had no objections to this, so this general policy was settled.

"Of course, this is actually just an ideal situation..."

Thinking this in his heart, Du En was not optimistic.

When they returned to the mountain stronghold, it had long been fully constructed, with all kinds of facilities complete.

And then, quite naturally, they entered a state of staying behind closed doors, practicing with concentration, conserving their energy, and waiting for the moment to enter the Dragon Palace.

One day later, the top-grade cultivation technique was delivered to his hands.

Meng Changqing had snuck it over right under the noses of the True Monarchs.

Thus, Du En took the opportunity to pass on the message from the True Monarch of the Rotten Forest side, which left Meng Changqing, who had originally wanted to give a few words of instruction, in a somewhat embarrassed state, laughing it off and not knowing how to speak about the matters within.

—He had completely not expected to be dragged into his own private affairs this time!

However, Du En did not care about such things at all; after obtaining the inheritance of the top-grade cultivation technique, he immediately began to contemplate it.

For the Green-Yellow Canon, one only needed to grind away step by step, but for this new technique, one had to first grasp the essence and find a point of entry to switch cultivation.

To him, this was the most difficult part, so only by contemplating early could he gain it early.

"Uh, well, that's it then..."

Seeing him like this, Meng Changqing said nothing more and secretly withdrew from the scene.

In the following days, the four of them made their own preparations and did not go out together again, nor did they even meet up, because they all felt it was unnecessary, so at most they communicated via divine sense from a distance to confirm some subsequent matters.

For example, if they were accidentally separated, how to gather, and who to gather around, etc.

Those contending for the actual leadership of the team were mainly Nangong Sheng and Lou Shuyue.

Du En didn't care, and Jiang Ying had no interest.

Therefore, in the end, the side with more people, Nangong Sheng, gained the advantageous position and seized this leadership.

Just like that.

Time arrived five days after they reached the South Azure Sea.

At this deep hour of the night.

"Screech!!!"

Du En had been practicing as usual, circulating his techniques amidst meditation and enlightenment, but very suddenly, the Phoenix Blood Spear erupted with an anomaly; half of its shell burst open in the hands of his Nascent Soul within his Divine Palace, and a ferocious flame phoenix poked its head out unexpectedly.

He immediately interrupted his practice; there was no backlash because he had long been prepared for such a situation.

His nested and merged natal dharma treasure, the Azure Crimson Palace, immediately chimed, and its myriad shimmering instrument restrictions emerged and converged, wrapping around with dreams and flames, directly transforming into sets of shackles prepared in advance, forcibly pressing it back down.

At the same time, the Divine Palace, existing since time immemorial, quietly enveloped all of this, standing tall amidst the clusters of blue-wave flame flowers, without the slightest change, causing the disturbance triggered by the Phoenix Blood Spear to be confined internally, completely unable to leak out.

However.

"Precisely because of this, it can still penetrate through thin air and cause this level of disturbance..."

The Supreme has made a move; the time has come!

Realizing this, Du En had already stood up and opened his eyes in reality.

Then, he saw the scenes that were currently unfolding.

The Taotie True Monarch high in the clouds, who had originally chosen to close his eyes and rest because he was too lazy to speak, suddenly opened the eyes under his armpits in alarm, from which a particularly obvious look of fear and despair flowed, feeling as if a great terror was about to descend, subconsciously about to let out his own mournful scream!

Snap!

Something suddenly flew out from his body, like a segment of a finger bone, and shattered directly; his expression then instantly returned to calm, as if the horror and despair from just a moment ago were merely an illusory facade.

The other True Monarchs, except for True Monarch Zhuding who had already been alerted the moment before the mutation appeared, only realized it in hindsight at this moment, unable to help but gaze over, all looking exceptionally grave.

"Master has made a move; because he has a protective supreme treasure granted by Supreme Fudong, he did not meet with disaster."

True Monarch Zhuding said this, explaining it to Du En.

Although he knew that Du En could actually guess it, he still spoke up, clearly his own state of mind could not help but have some ripples.

Du En was indeed not surprised, because this matter was actually self-evident.

The focus of Supreme Luoyu this time lay in matters related to the Dragon Race.

And Taotie, as a famous fierce beast, had a legend and rumor that it was one of the nine sons of the dragon.

In other words, he could also be called a dragon-kin, and his relationship with the Dragon Race was exceptionally close!

In other words...

The scene changed abruptly.

Arriving at the island stronghold of the Fudong Immortal Gate, one could see that among the Twelve Earthly Branches, four had already died violently in silence: they were Chou Ox, Si Snake, You Rooster, and, the one who could by no means escape, Chen Dragon!

This guy, whom Du En and the others had previously collectively identified as the strongest among the strong enemies, who needed to have his branches pruned before they could join forces to besiege him, and who was touted as having reached the peak of the Nascent Soul, was now also dead without a sound, leaving only a splash of blood that bloomed exceptionally brilliantly and glaringly!

Besides this, three had also died violently on the side of Mucang!

No one among the Rotten Forest cultivators had died; they appeared to have been prepared early on, and at this moment, they were all emerging from the trees and gathering in one place.

As for the End-Path cultivators, it was uncertain—yes, it was just uncertain; Du En looked at the location of their stronghold and only saw that they still had that many people, seemingly also having anticipated this, gathered together.

However, this remote perspective was being shown to him by True Monarch Zhuding, so it displayed an extra filter; looking at the people of other immortal gates, everything seemed normal, but only this side exuded a mysterious feeling.

"The Dragon Palace has opened."

Without giving Du En the leeway to ask questions, True Monarch Zhuding spoke, as if he were saying it to him, and as if he were saying it to the other True Monarchs.

Because they needed to race against time, there was no time for explanations.

The things Du En saw in his eyes immediately returned to his own normal field of vision.

His position had changed; he appeared above the great sea.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators were all the same; they had not had time to react at all, and many were still shaken, having just been astonished and terrified, only to be moved over by the True Monarchs who had taken action.

He plunged into the water with a splash; the sea waves looked calm, but the currents were actually chaotic, and the space around him had undergone an obvious change before he knew it, driving this abnormal undercurrent.

At present, what the group of Nascent Soul stage cultivators should do actually remained unchanged.

Instantly understanding this situation, Du En stabilized himself in the turbulence and observed and examined this process of entering the Dragon Palace.

It was very brief; the surrounding environment was undergoing drastic changes, as if permeated with countless cracks.

The moment he truly entered, Du En's divine sense, in a fleeting glimpse, seemed to see an ancient palace in the silt of the seabed, shattered, devoid of brilliance, and exuding a sorrowful and lingering resentment.

It was as if it were grieving for that lineage of all spirits, which had come to an end, leaving behind only a ruined palace and a tomb.

The next moment, it was a different scene.

The seawater disappeared and receded completely; his heart throbbed inexplicably, and an unsettling feeling came from above his head; Du En immediately raised his eyes to observe.

He could see that above the sky, there was a mottled and strange flowing space, with a feather-shaped gap hanging there, like a scar of the heavens, gradually expanding, shocking to the eye, making one feel awe from the bottom of their heart, not daring to look directly at it.

The Luoyu Heavenly Scar!

That was the passage for entering and exiting; it was the handiwork of that Supreme Luoyu, who, although unknown where he was now, was certainly at a distant end!

In a trance, Du En only felt that he had already been shattered, just like the inside and outside of the Dragon Palace, his entire body broken into pieces of various sizes!

This was just an illusion, the impact on his mind brought about by looking directly at the Luoyu Heavenly Scar.

But it was only that; it was not reality. If Supreme Luoyu truly wanted to crush ants like them to death, there would be no need for such great trouble; in fact, even this illusion was just his own subconscious self-directed performance, a fear and horror of the Supreme's great power.

Therefore, he dared to look up directly.

At this moment, standing still in the air, he calmly withdrew his gaze and quickly used his Dao heart, which was far more resilient and strong than his subconscious, to piece himself back together.

Then Du En continued to observe the surrounding scene.

He was the only one around; it seemed that when he fell into the Dragon Palace, he had been separated by the turbulence of time and space.

He looked down at the ground again.

A magnificent ruin!

Although it had collapsed and its overall state was poor, being merely the ruins of a corner of the original Dragon Palace, it could still be called magnificent.

With ten thousand years of time passing, the spiritual energy inside here had long been barely able to maintain the fourth rank, and now, with the appearance of the Luoyu Heavenly Scar, it was leaking away even more rapidly.

However, the Dragon Palace architecture, which had been built with all kinds of rare treasures and piled up with extreme luxury, still had spiritual charm remaining in every inch and every part.

Even the worst parts could still be rated as top-grade third rank, and fourth-rank items were visible everywhere; in a fleeting glimpse, there were even fifth-rank spiritual objects adorning it!

Therefore, it was called a magnificent ruin.

"This is the Dragon Palace, the palace of a True Dragon—no, it should only be the periphery, not the true main body yet... It is a pity that in a zone like this, although there are Tier 5 spiritual items, because the leakage of spiritual Qi is too severe, it is already impossible to form a unique spiritual environment."

In other words, it cannot be used to grind proficiency for Spirit Seeking.

I am afraid it cannot even meet the conditions for Appraisal, but I can still try it out next.

Du En did not linger in the slightest; having seen the environment clearly and finding no danger, he began to move.

Through his observations before and after entering, he was already able to generally determine that inside this Dragon Palace, it was now extremely intricate and complex; due to the great battle back then, it had become fragmented and was divided into countless internal spaces, as if there were countless small worlds.

They were isolated from one another, possessed a certain arrangement pattern, and were covered in various architectural ruins, relying on spatial water vortices that acted as connecting nodes to move to interconnected blocks.

Some of these water vortices were fixed, while others were undercurrents, requiring extra caution and care so as not to be swallowed and randomly transported into the corresponding divided spaces.

The reason is simple: some divided spaces were damaged so severely that they were entirely zones occupied by annihilation currents; let alone Nascent Soul stage cultivators, even Great Cultivators would perish if they came here, so it could be said to be exceptionally dangerous.

Then the question arises: how did Du En, who had not yet stepped in, know all this?

The answer is because of a strange treasure.

Considering that places like the Dragon Palace basically all have situations of spatial disorder after being damaged, Meng Changqing naturally took this into account and gave him a strange treasure called the Space-Seeking Jade Cicada before he set off to gather.

This jade cicada was very unique; when stuck to the inside of his clothes, it could seek out and distinguish the quality of spaces—good spaces would chime into a melody in the owner's mind, while bad spaces would be noisy and sharp.

The degree of that noisy sharpness corresponded to different situations such as fractured, pulverized, annihilated, and silent-void.

To put it simply and crudely, in a fractured space, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator can barely survive; in a pulverized space, a Spirit Severing stage cultivator can still exert some ability; in an annihilated space, only Realized Ones can face it with relative ease; and in a silent-void space, only True Monarchs can walk without hindrance.

(End of chapter)